Hong Kong tutor who plotted to murder flight attendant gets 3-year jail term reduction
Court of Appeal rules 27-year sentence for Stephen So, 36, was ‘too high’, but rejects bid to overturn conviction
A Hong Kong private tutor found guilty of orchestrating a failed plot to murder his business partner eight years ago has secured a three-year reduction to his 27-year jail sentence, but lost an appeal against his conviction.
In a written judgment on Friday, the Court of Appeal found that the sentence imposed on Stephen So Hon-to was too high, despite the egregious nature of the offence and the need to ensure a “continuing danger to society” would be removed from society for “a very considerable time”.
The court also explained its decision to dismiss So’s appeal against his conviction for conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to possess arms and ammunition without a licence last December.
It found the trial judge had correctly instructed the jury regarding So’s intention to commit a crime and the prosecutors’ burden of proof.
So, now 36, enlisted the help of three teenagers to kill former flight attendant Terence Lam Ching-fung between late 2018 and early 2019, after their relationship turned sour over a disagreement relating to an investment in a tactical gear company in mainland China.
The then 28-year-old tutor, a war game enthusiast, had also accused Lam, nicknamed “hobbit”, of secretly reporting to police that he had smuggled firearms.