Hong Kong surgeon, 93, with dementia deemed unfit to stand trial in Botox death case
Franklin Li stands accused of unlawfully killing banker Zoe Cheung due to gross negligence while performing medical procedure in 2018
A 93-year-old Hong Kong plastic surgeon has been deemed unfit to stand trial for manslaughter linked to a botched Botox injection in 2018 due to advanced dementia.
A seven-strong High Court jury on Monday returned a unanimous verdict to exempt Dr Franklin Li Wang-pong from making a plea, after the defence team argued that he would not be able to understand proceedings, nor effectively give instructions to his lawyers.
Li, who initially pleaded not guilty, will therefore not be held criminally liable for the offence, but the court will still hear evidence to decide if the defendant committed the acts he was charged with.
Li stands accused of unlawfully killing banker Zoe Cheung Shuk-ling, 52, due to gross negligence while performing that medical procedure at his clinic, which is located at Grand Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, on November 11, 2018.
On-fiat prosecutor Neil Mitchell said in his opening statement that Cheung fell into a coma after the surgeon gave her a mixture of sedatives and painkillers.
Li’s wife, Veronica Li Lau Wei-chue, and their son, Dr Konrad Li Ming-sheng, were called to the clinic to offer help. The younger Li filed a police report after attempts to resuscitate Cheung using a bag valve device failed.