Hong Kong man blames mental illness for stabbing elderly father to death
Lee Man-lok, 35, pleads guilty to manslaughter over attack that left father with more than 80 cut and stab wounds following quarrel
A 35-year-old Hong Kong clerk who cut and stabbed his father more than 80 times in the family home following an argument has maintained that he was not at fault for killing him because he was mentally unstable.
Lee Man-lok pleaded guilty at the High Court on Thursday to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility for fatally assaulting Lee Hok-choi, 78, on October 11, 2021.
Prosecutors agreed to reduce the original murder charge after three psychiatrists concluded the defendant’s ability to form rational judgment and exercise self-control was substantially impaired by schizophrenia.
Asked whether he agreed with the prosecution’s summary of the case, the defendant confirmed that he did but said: “Because this is due to my mental illness [prompting me to] kill my father, I think this is not my fault.”
Mr Justice Anthony Kwok Kai-on said he considered the remark a plea for mitigation and urged the defendant to leave any submission in court to his lawyers.
The court heard that at the time of the offence, the accused was staying at a rehabilitation hostel in Nam Cheong following his release from a psychiatric hospital, while his family had lived in Kwai Chung’s Yin Lai Court for around 30 years.
The father’s neighbour alerted police after hearing screams for help from his flat at around 4.40pm that day.