Remanded street sleeper who alleged police abuse died in rare case of self-strangulation, Hong Kong court inquest finds
- Five-member jury returns unanimous verdict of death by suicide in the case of Le Van Muoi
- CCTV footage shows 54-year-old tying knot around his neck with his trousers at Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre
A street sleeper who accused police of abuse died in a rare case of self-strangulation while on remand in a Hong Kong psychiatric institution for prisoners three years ago, an inquest jury decided on Friday.
The five-member Coroner’s Court jury on Friday returned a unanimous verdict of death by suicide in the case of Le Van Muoi after CCTV footage showed the 54-year-old tying his trousers in a knot around his neck while he was in the Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre in Tuen Mun on October 8, 2020.
The homeless man, originally from Vietnam, was among street sleepers who had complained of rough treatment by police earlier that year at the Tung Chau Street Park in Sham Shui Po, where he had camped out for almost two decades.
The jury also found the centre did not have enough guards to monitor inmates at risk of self-harming and that officers’ reliance on CCTV footage had also contributed to their inability to detect problems.
Hong Kong facility short-staffed when inmate fell into coma and later died: inquest
The panel asked the Correctional Services Department to step up surveillance on inmates who needed special psychiatric attention.
It said measures such as officers carrying out regular visits to individual cells and maintenance of a record of each check to ensure compliance should be introduced.
Le was remanded in custody in September 2020 while he was awaiting trial on drugs charges.
He was held in a cell in the admission and observation unit designed to protect mentally unstable inmates.
Prison rules require officers to inspect such inmates every 15 minutes.
But the guards at the centre said they could not conduct regular in-person checks on Le on October 8 because of a temporary staff shortage.
The institution had to rely largely on the surveillance system to monitor Le and others held in the same building.
CCTV footage showed a naked Le trying to strangle himself using his trousers just four minutes after an officer checked on him at 11.07am that day.
The suicide attempt continued intermittently until 11.37am, when the Le lapsed into a coma.
Yau Wai-keung, a prison officer who was in charge of camera surveillance that day, said the footage had not raised his suspicions as he thought Le was sleeping normally when he checked at 11.22am and 11.37am.
He added he had spent no more than five seconds watching the footage on each occasion.
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It was not until eight minutes later that Yau’s colleague, So Yan-kit, discovered Le had stopped breathing after he entered his cell to collect a urine sample.
The two officers attempted to resuscitate Le, but were unsuccessful. He was certified dead in hospital the next day.
Counsel for the Correctional Services Department told the inquest the institution had upgraded its security cameras after the tragedy and installed sensors to keep tabs on the vital signs of inmates.
If you have suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.
