https://www.scmp.com/rss/318211/feed The latest news from Hong Kong's courts, legislative issues, crime and legal. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kristen Cheung Kristen Cheung A Hong Kong contractor is under criminal investigation for suspected fraud after authorities found it had failed to install fire-resistant door frames in about 90 per cent of the lifts it installed, with preliminary evidence also pointing to serious negligence and misconduct. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) said on Monday that Taizoom Elevator was suspected of fraud and making false statements. The department reported the case to police on October 16, and a criminal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373802/hong-kong-lift-contractor-under-probe-fraud-over-missing-fire-safety-frames https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373802/hong-kong-lift-contractor-under-probe-fraud-over-missing-fire-safety-frames Mon, 09 Nov 2026 09:16:06 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The former brother-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has said he treated her like a biological sibling, while claiming that he had maintained an affluent facade in front of her friends to protect her reputation. Anthony Kwong Kong-kit took the witness box for the first time on Monday since going on trial in the High Court alongside his father and younger brother for allegedly murdering the influencer on February 21, 2023. The 35-year-old is contesting a joint count of murder... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373774/abby-chois-ex-brother-law-tells-court-he-treated-her-biological-sibling https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373774/abby-chois-ex-brother-law-tells-court-he-treated-her-biological-sibling Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:26:49 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong has recorded a nearly 18 per cent rise in ransomware cases in the first three quarters of this year despite an overall drop in technology crime, with police attributing the rise to artificial intelligence-aided attacks. Chief Superintendent Raymond Lam Cheuk-ho of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau said police had recorded cases of AI agents and other forms of artificial intelligence being used in cyberattacks as recently as last month. “We understand that the use of AI... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373691/hong-kong-records-nearly-18-rise-ransomware-cases-amid-drop-tech-crime https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373691/hong-kong-records-nearly-18-rise-ransomware-cases-amid-drop-tech-crime Sun, 08 Nov 2026 23:00:43 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh When Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and seven principal officials bowed deeply before the cameras on October 29, Hong Kong witnessed something rare: a collective government apology. It came 11 months after the Wang Fuk Court fire claimed 168 lives and uprooted 1,984 households. A minister has resigned. Many reforms have been promised. Yet public reaction remains divided. That division reveals what people expect an apology to achieve, and how differently they understand political... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3373289/hong-kong-must-show-real-remorse-tai-po-fire-tragedy https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3373289/hong-kong-must-show-real-remorse-tai-po-fire-tragedy Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:30:21 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Warning: graphic content follows. Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung could have been fatally struck with a hammer that contained her ex-husband’s DNA when it was seized from a rural village flat where her dismembered remains were found, a court has heard. Wrapping up their case as the murder trial entered its sixth week, prosecutors highlighted forensic findings and surveillance camera footage showing the movements of Choi and three of her former in-laws before and after her alleged... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373639/ex-husbands-dna-found-hammer-allegedly-used-kill-abby-choi-prosecution-says https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373639/ex-husbands-dna-found-hammer-allegedly-used-kill-abby-choi-prosecution-says Sat, 07 Nov 2026 07:00:06 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li A foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong has been arrested on suspicion of ill-treating a child after she allegedly spat into the food of a girl under her care, according to police. The mother of the four-year-old girl filed a police report at 9.28am on Friday, saying her 37-year-old Filipino helper had treated her daughter inappropriately. Initial police investigations at the family’s flat at The Belcher’s, a private residential estate in Kennedy Town, indicated that the helper had spat into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373630/domestic-helper-arrested-after-allegedly-spitting-4-year-old-girls-food https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373630/domestic-helper-arrested-after-allegedly-spitting-4-year-old-girls-food Sat, 07 Nov 2026 03:25:23 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung,Fiona Sun,Eric Jiang Elizabeth Cheung,Fiona Sun,Eric Jiang Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on a syndicate and arrested 28 people allegedly involved in bid-rigging, including board members of contractors and consultancy firms, in the first operation by a joint task force set up after the release of a scathing report on the devastating Wang Fuk Court fire. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Friday that the task force, set up to tackle bid-rigging, had also established a 24-hour hotline for the public to report any suspicious... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373575/hong-kong-authorities-arrest-28-crackdown-bid-rigging-after-tai-po-fire https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373575/hong-kong-authorities-arrest-28-crackdown-bid-rigging-after-tai-po-fire Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:59:46 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has sentenced a domestic helper to five months in jail for molesting her former employer’s 12-year-old daughter in the family home. Lady Jay Santos Flores, 45, offered no mitigation before she was sentenced at Kowloon City Court on Friday on three counts of indecent assault. She sobbed occasionally during the hearing. Flores was convicted last month of molesting the girl, who said the Filipino helper had touched her genitals on several occasions between May and June 2025. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373505/5-months-jail-helper-convicted-molesting-employers-12-year-old-daughter https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373505/5-months-jail-helper-convicted-molesting-employers-12-year-old-daughter Fri, 06 Nov 2026 05:30:29 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has backed a proposed overhaul of rules to tighten access to land records, warning that journalists have no exemption when collecting data as complaints over information misuse appear to be worsening. Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling said on Friday that journalists did not enjoy an exemption under the privacy ordinance when gathering information, even though certain safeguards applied to how the data was subsequently used. “The privacy ordinance does provide... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373496/hong-kong-privacy-watchdog-backs-tighter-rules-access-land-records https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373496/hong-kong-privacy-watchdog-backs-tighter-rules-access-land-records Fri, 06 Nov 2026 05:19:05 +0000 Eric Jiang Eric Jiang Hong Kong police will enable artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition technology across their expanding smart surveillance network this month to improve the tracking of missing persons or suspects, with plans to save the data it generates for up to 180 days. The force said the facial recognition technology was widely used by law enforcement agencies around the world and stressed that residents’ privacy rights would be protected. “Leveraging AI [facial recognition] would cut the time we... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373440/hong-kong-police-enable-ai-facial-recognition-cctv-network-month https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373440/hong-kong-police-enable-ai-facial-recognition-cctv-network-month Thu, 05 Nov 2026 23:00:09 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong national security police have arrested an operator of a local prisoner support group on suspicion of importing seditious publications, days after the group revealed that customs had seized dozens of books it had ordered from Taiwan. Police said officers carried out an enforcement operation in Mong Kok on Thursday morning, arresting a local man, 34, on suspicion of “importing a publication that has a seditious intention”, an offence under the Safeguarding National Security... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373455/police-arrest-operator-prisoner-support-group-over-allegedly-seditious-books https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373455/police-arrest-operator-prisoner-support-group-over-allegedly-seditious-books Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:45:29 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have arrested a domestic helper for suspected child abuse after a five-month-old baby girl was found unconscious at her Yuen Long home. The force received a report from the girl’s mother at about 7.20pm on Thursday that the infant was unconscious at a residence at Ha San Wai along Castle Peak Road. Paramedics rushed to the scene and transported the baby girl to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long for emergency resuscitation. She was subsequently transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373452/domestic-helper-arrested-after-5-month-old-baby-found-unconscious-yuen-long-home https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373452/domestic-helper-arrested-after-5-month-old-baby-found-unconscious-yuen-long-home Thu, 05 Nov 2026 14:41:55 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong grandmother has been sentenced to 20 days in jail for slapping a five-year-old girl who squabbled over a basketball with her grandson in a play area at the atrium of APM shopping centre in Kwun Tong. Leung Lai-ha, 68, on Thursday pleaded guilty to assaulting the girl on August 26, admitting that she hit the girl on impulse. A video of the brawl showed three adults were involved – Leung, her 34-year-old daughter Ng Ka-wun and Xu Yang, 34, the girl’s mother. The physical altercation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373430/hong-kong-grandmother-gets-20-days-slapping-five-year-old-girl-play-area https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373430/hong-kong-grandmother-gets-20-days-slapping-five-year-old-girl-play-area Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:17:58 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Warning: graphic content follows. Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung could have been struck on the head seven times with a hammer when she was allegedly murdered three years ago, a court has heard. Forensic pathologist Dr Kwok Ka-ki said on Thursday that Choi was fatally struck on the head with a blunt object, leaving a large hole on the right side of her head and causing extensive bleeding in her brain and skull. Testifying in the High Court as the murder trial entered its sixth week,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373421/abby-choi-could-have-been-hit-head-seven-times-hammer-murder-trial-told https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373421/abby-choi-could-have-been-hit-head-seven-times-hammer-murder-trial-told Thu, 05 Nov 2026 11:32:46 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A mainland Chinese company and its director have pleaded guilty to fraud after submitting falsified certificates to win a HK$52.9 million (US$6.78 million) contract to supply drinking water to civil servants in Hong Kong. The high-profile procurement scandal came to light in August last year after civil servants raised concerns about the quality of products supplied by Xin Ding Xin Trade, which held a three-year contract to provide XinLe-brand bottled water to government offices on Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373402/chinese-firm-and-director-admit-fraud-hk529m-hong-kong-bottled-water-scandal https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373402/chinese-firm-and-director-admit-fraud-hk529m-hong-kong-bottled-water-scandal Thu, 05 Nov 2026 09:53:12 +0000 Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Jailed Hong Kong opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for his role in a global campaign to instigate sanctions against mainland China and the city in the aftermath of the 2019 anti-government protests. The High Court ruled on Thursday that Wong and fugitive ex-lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung had partly contributed to the imposition of sanctions and adverse measures against mainland and Hong Kong officials which significantly undermined national... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373335/joshua-wong-jailed-10-years-over-bid-instigate-sanctions-beijing-hong-kong https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373335/joshua-wong-jailed-10-years-over-bid-instigate-sanctions-beijing-hong-kong Thu, 05 Nov 2026 03:13:58 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung A prominent patients’ rights advocate and lawyer has resigned from Hong Kong’s medical watchdog to represent the father of Chau Tin-yu at an inquest into her death, after she spent four years in a vegetative state following an alleged medical blunder. Alex Lam Chi-yau, chairman of Hong Kong Patients’ Voices and a lay member of the Medical Council, submitted his resignation to council chairwoman Professor Grace Tang Wai-king on Wednesday amid concerns about a conflict of interest. His resignation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373288/medical-watchdog-member-quits-represent-tin-yus-father-her-death-inquest https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373288/medical-watchdog-member-quits-represent-tin-yus-father-her-death-inquest Wed, 04 Nov 2026 11:52:56 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma The decision by a global law institute to open its first overseas office in Hong Kong reflects the city’s importance as a forum for legal international exchange, bolstered by its common law system and close ties to mainland China, a former justice minister has said. Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, secretary general of the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) and a former secretary for justice, said on Wednesday that the opening of the regional office of the International Institute for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3373272/legal-bodys-new-office-affirms-hong-kongs-role-exchange-hub-ex-minister-says https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3373272/legal-bodys-new-office-affirms-hong-kongs-role-exchange-hub-ex-minister-says Wed, 04 Nov 2026 10:41:59 +0000 Simpson Cheung Simpson Cheung A former vice-president of the Hong Kong stock exchange’s operator and his mother have been charged by the city’s corruption watchdog over allegedly accessing confidential information of listed companies, which yielded more than HK$500,000 (US$63,720) in investment profits. Geoffrey Tong Po-hang, 39, former vice-president of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), and his mother Leung Yiu-chun, 68, appeared in Eastern Court for mention on Wednesday afternoon. They jointly face one count of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373255/ex-hkex-vice-president-and-mother-charged-over-alleged-confidential-data-access https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373255/ex-hkex-vice-president-and-mother-charged-over-alleged-confidential-data-access Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:01:37 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong district councillor has been sentenced to 2½ years in jail for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 2011, with the judge noting he had shown no remorse towards a victim he claimed to have loved. District Court Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi on Tuesday noted that Sei Chun-hing, a 39-year-old Yuen Long district council member, was aware of the “red line” of having sex with a minor when they started dating in October 2010. At the time, she was 13 and Sei was 23. Chan noted that,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373085/2-1/2-years-jail-hong-kong-district-councillor-who-had-sex-13-year-old-girl-2011 https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373085/2-1/2-years-jail-hong-kong-district-councillor-who-had-sex-13-year-old-girl-2011 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:46:38 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying,Simpson Cheung Lo Hoi-ying,Simpson Cheung Police are hunting for two more suspects after arresting a 61-year-old Hong Kong man for allegedly spiking Japanese disc jockey Mao Hamasaki’s drink at a Tsim Sha Tsui nightclub over the weekend, leaving her in intensive care. The police on Tuesday said that after investigations by the Yau Tsim crime squad, officers arrested the suspect in Central on Monday in relation to an alleged drugging attempt at PP Club on Mody Road the previous day. The man has been detained and is being investigated for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373064/man-61-arrested-allegedly-spiking-drink-japanese-dj-hong-kong-nightclub https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373064/man-61-arrested-allegedly-spiking-drink-japanese-dj-hong-kong-nightclub Tue, 03 Nov 2026 02:53:46 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng An international legal body’s new regional office in Hong Kong aims to help developing Southeast Asian economies and promote the wider use of uniform commercial law across the Asia-Pacific, its secretary general has said. Ignacio Tirado, secretary general of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit), said its new Asia-Pacific Liaison Office was receiving financial support from the Hong Kong government and seeking additional sponsors. He was speaking after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373030/legal-bodys-new-hong-kong-office-targets-developing-southeast-asian-economies https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373030/legal-bodys-new-hong-kong-office-targets-developing-southeast-asian-economies Mon, 02 Nov 2026 14:02:32 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A 23-year-old yoga instructor was found dead floating in a blood-filled bathtub in a luxury Hong Kong hotel room after sustaining more than 40 wounds, a court heard on the opening day of her former boyfriend’s murder trial. Prosecutors told a High Court jury on Monday that the accused, Alex Lo Chun-ming, planned to kill his ex-girlfriend Chow Wai-yin with a sharp knife at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in West Kowloon on June 29 and 30, 2022. Chow, known as “Aqua”, was popular on social media and had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373019/ex-boyfriend-planned-kill-yoga-instructor-hong-kong-murder-trial-hears https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373019/ex-boyfriend-planned-kill-yoga-instructor-hong-kong-murder-trial-hears Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:50:53 +0000 Simpson Cheung Simpson Cheung Hong Kong police arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of multiple offences after a 10-hour manhunt sparked by a hit-and-run crash at a cross-boundary checkpoint in the early hours of Monday. Police said a car hit a barrier gate at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint at 1.17am. The incident was classified as a damage-only traffic accident and a hit-and-run. Officers located the car near Hoi Wing Road in Tuen Mun’s Castle Peak area at about 10.30am and gave chase, intercepting it on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373003/hong-kong-police-arrest-man-after-hit-and-run-checkpoint-sparks-10-hour-hunt https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373003/hong-kong-police-arrest-man-after-hit-and-run-checkpoint-sparks-10-hour-hunt Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:10:07 +0000 Simpson Cheung Simpson Cheung Former Japanese adult film actress Mao Hamasaki has spoken out about the “terror” and “harm” of drugs after fighting for her life when she consumed a suspected spiked drink while performing as a disc jockey in Hong Kong on Sunday. Hamasaki, who was discharged from hospital on Monday afternoon, wrote in Japanese on her X social media account that she had been examined by a psychiatrist. “My consciousness is completely clear, and I am steadily recovering,” she said. Hamasaki, 33, also known as “DJ... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372969/japanese-ex-adult-film-actress-recalls-terror-after-alleged-drugging-hong-kong https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372969/japanese-ex-adult-film-actress-recalls-terror-after-alleged-drugging-hong-kong Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:53:51 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng The opening of an international legal body’s first regional office in Hong Kong will cement the city’s position as a global legal hub, help attract international organisations and talent, and deepen regional legal cooperation, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said. Lee was speaking as the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit) officially opened its Asia-Pacific Liaison Office in the city on Monday. The office is the independent intergovernmental body’s first... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372946/launch-global-legal-bodys-office-hong-kong-seals-citys-law-hub-status-john-lee https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372946/launch-global-legal-bodys-office-hong-kong-seals-citys-law-hub-status-john-lee Mon, 02 Nov 2026 05:48:05 +0000 Kristen Cheung Kristen Cheung Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog has charged two former senior executives of a cleaning company with allegedly accepting more than HK$75 million (US$9.6 million) in bribes linked to the purchase and maintenance of cleaning vehicles. William Fung Chi-wang, 54, a former director of Johnson Cleaning Services Company and former chief executive of its Hong Kong-listed parent, and Jimmy Lee Sai-leung, 57, the cleaning company’s former general manager, were each charged last Friday with one count of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372929/2-cleaning-firm-executives-charged-taking-hk75-million-bribes-supplier https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372929/2-cleaning-firm-executives-charged-taking-hk75-million-bribes-supplier Mon, 02 Nov 2026 03:37:40 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu The Hong Kong Bar Association has called on the government to clearly define criminal thresholds and resolve whistle-blower immunity rules under its plan to outlaw bid-rigging following the deadly Tai Po inferno. A task force formed by the association, which represents the city’s barristers, spent 10 months reviewing four key areas of law and released a 140-page report on Sunday in the hope of providing direction to address the shortcomings that led to the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372894/clarify-crime-thresholds-and-immunity-bid-rigging-law-hong-kong-bar-association https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372894/clarify-crime-thresholds-and-immunity-bid-rigging-law-hong-kong-bar-association Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:36:05 +0000 Simpson Cheung Simpson Cheung Former Japanese adult film actress Mao Hamasaki has regained consciousness after being admitted to intensive care at a Hong Kong hospital following an alleged drugging while she was working at a club in Tsim Sha Tsui. Hamasaki’s manager published a post on her Facebook page at 5.40am on Sunday, with two photos showing her in a wheelchair being taken to an ambulance. The post read: “Drugged while working.” Hamasaki, 33, had performed as a disc jockey at several clubs on Halloween night until the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372866/ex-japanese-adult-film-actress-intensive-care-after-alleged-drugging-hong-kong https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372866/ex-japanese-adult-film-actress-intensive-care-after-alleged-drugging-hong-kong Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:45:02 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau A 66-year-old Hong Kong woman has been swindled out of HK$2.7 million (US$344,158) in a phone scam after a caller claimed that her bank account had been involved in money laundering. Police said the woman, who lives in Sau Mau Ping, told the force at about 5am on Saturday that she had received the call earlier this month from a suspected scammer. He claimed her bank account, the one she used to buy insurance online, had been involved in money laundering and allegedly instructed her to transfer... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372815/hong-kong-woman-66-loses-hk27-million-money-laundering-phone-scam https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372815/hong-kong-woman-66-loses-hk27-million-money-laundering-phone-scam Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:29:25 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s remains were stored in two soup pots and a refrigerator after her body was dismembered with an electric saw in a rural village flat, a court has heard. The High Court trial took a turn towards the end of its fifth week when Choi’s former father-in-law, Kwong Kau, changed his plea to guilty on a charge of illegally disposing of her body. His admission came after the court heard how some of the 28-year-old’s remains were found in Lung Mei village in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372814/hong-kong-socialite-abby-chois-remains-found-soup-pots-and-fridge-court-told https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372814/hong-kong-socialite-abby-chois-remains-found-soup-pots-and-fridge-court-told Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:23:37 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Even as Hong Kong remains the world’s least affordable housing market, many buyers still shun heavily discounted homes linked to an “unnatural death”, such as murder or suicide, according to property agents. Prices for such properties could fall by as much as 50 per cent, while rents were typically about 20 per cent below market rates, they added. The aversion stands in stark contrast to parts of Europe, particularly in France, where buyers are often willing to purchase homes under a “vente en... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3372257/scary-deals-what-makes-hong-kong-shun-death-linked-homes-while-france-embraces-risk https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3372257/scary-deals-what-makes-hong-kong-shun-death-linked-homes-while-france-embraces-risk Sat, 31 Oct 2026 03:00:13 +0000 Enid Tsui,Wynna Wong Enid Tsui,Wynna Wong Hong Kong police are investigating the suspected theft of five styrofoam sculptures created by local artist Keith Lam Yan-kit. The sculptures were discovered missing from Hong Kong City Hall in Central hours before the opening of a major new exhibition. At just after 2.30pm on Friday afternoon, officers received a report from the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2026 about the missing art pieces, which are part of an eight-piece work. The case has been classified as theft and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372775/hong-kong-artist-dismayed-works-stolen-hours-exhibition-due-open https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372775/hong-kong-artist-dismayed-works-stolen-hours-exhibition-due-open Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:13:17 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong’s security chief has expressed confidence that a new joint task force led by him will eradicate the decades-long problem of bid-rigging, while denying that the reforms came too late after the deadly Tai Po fire. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also said on Friday that law enforcement officers would attend meetings of owners’ corporations where the risk of bid-rigging was deemed high to gather frontline intelligence and intervene early. Authorities also hope to pass new... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372757/security-chief-vows-his-task-force-will-root-out-bid-rigging-hong-kong https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372757/security-chief-vows-his-task-force-will-root-out-bid-rigging-hong-kong Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:36:39 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has made a U-turn midway through his and his sons’ murder trial, pleading guilty to the illegal disposal of her body. As the High Court trial entered its fifth week before a nine-member jury, Kwong Kau made the stunning reversal on Friday and admitted to the charge he had initially denied. The 68-year-old retired police sergeant stands accused of murdering his former daughter-in-law on February 21, 2023, and preventing the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372683/abby-chois-ex-father-law-pleads-guilty-illegal-disposal-her-body-stark-u-turn https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372683/abby-chois-ex-father-law-pleads-guilty-illegal-disposal-her-body-stark-u-turn Fri, 30 Oct 2026 05:47:21 +0000 Kristen Cheung,Lexi Tian Kristen Cheung,Lexi Tian Hong Kong officials’ apology over the deadly Tai Po blaze nearly a year ago came too late, residents of the fire-ravaged estate have said, as they urged authorities to learn from the disaster and pursue long-term reforms. Several Wang Fuk Court residents also said on Thursday the resignation of housing minister Winnie Ho Wing-yin could not answer for cross-departmental failings, adding that institutional overhaul would be ineffective unless officials enforced rules, exercised sound judgment and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3372622/why-did-it-take-11-months-apology-too-late-some-tai-po-fire-survivors https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3372622/why-did-it-take-11-months-apology-too-late-some-tai-po-fire-survivors Fri, 30 Oct 2026 04:46:00 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong judge who has overseen high-profile national security trials, including the collusion case of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, has been promoted to the Court of Appeal. A Judiciary statement on Thursday said the chief executive had accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission to appoint Court of First Instance judge Alex Lee Wan-tang to his new role, with his appointment taking effect on Friday. Handpicked by the city leader to adjudicate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372645/hong-kong-national-security-judge-alex-lee-promoted-court-appeal https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372645/hong-kong-national-security-judge-alex-lee-promoted-court-appeal Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:07:37 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing The lack of a sense of crisis and an overreliance on an “honour system” prevented the buildings, labour and fire safety authorities from acting on fire safety risks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a judge-led panel that investigated Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades has found. But among the four government bodies singled out in the independent committee’s final report on the fire, the Labour Department should bear the least responsibility, it said. “Firstly and most importantly, there was a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372625/tai-po-fire-risks-went-unchecked-honour-system-exploited-report-says https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372625/tai-po-fire-risks-went-unchecked-honour-system-exploited-report-says Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:16:01 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung No government department took effective ownership of fire safety risks ahead of the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, allowing complaints made by residents to fall into a vacuum, according to an independent committee. At the release of the 1,154-page full report on Thursday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said he would lead a steering committee to review and implement the more than 100 recommendations of the independent committee. The recommendations included the criminalisation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372624/residents-were-left-helpless-departments-passed-ball-safety-complaints https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372624/residents-were-left-helpless-departments-passed-ball-safety-complaints Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:00:16 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin The Hong Kong government is set to criminalise bid-rigging in building maintenance projects under laws covering triad and corruption offences and allow authorities to take criminal or civil action against such conduct, following the release of an independent committee’s report on the fatal Tai Po blaze. The regulatory overhaul on bid-rigging was announced on Thursday, as the government released the long-anticipated report of the independent committee investigating the causes of the devastating... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372614/bid-rigging-renovation-projects-be-criminalised-offenders-can-be-jailed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372614/bid-rigging-renovation-projects-be-criminalised-offenders-can-be-jailed Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:56:47 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police launched an investigation into the disappearance of jewellery worth nearly HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) from a woman’s home in the upscale Southern district neighbourhood of Chung Hom Kok. The woman, 56, called police at about 1pm on Thursday, two days after returning to her four-storey, stand-alone block at Bauhinia Garden on Chung Hom Kok Road to discover that a pearl necklace worth about HK$39 million and a diamond necklace worth HK$700,000 had disappeared. She had placed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372610/hong-kong-police-probe-hk40-million-jewellery-theft-southern-district-flat https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372610/hong-kong-police-probe-hk40-million-jewellery-theft-southern-district-flat Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:09:45 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A police officer has denied failing to properly label DNA samples taken from slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s ex-husband after his arrest more than three years ago. Testifying in the High Court on Thursday, Sergeant Lam Chun also denied using excessive force to subdue Alex Kwong Kong-chi as he was about to flee Hong Kong via the Tung Chung Development Pier on February 25, 2023. Lam, who was a detective constable at the time, said Kwong sustained a 2cm-by-2cm abrasion on his right... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372556/hong-kong-police-officer-denies-mishandling-dna-samples-abby-choi-murder-case https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372556/hong-kong-police-officer-denies-mishandling-dna-samples-abby-choi-murder-case Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:19:02 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has sentenced a teenager with triad links to eight years in prison for splashing corrosive liquid on a Singaporean tourist last year in return for a promised payment of HK$10,000 (US$1,280). Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai of the High Court said on Thursday that defendant Anson Kew, 19, had caused a “lifelong impact” on Jiang Wen, 36, who suffered second-degree burns in the attack on June 9, 2025. Kew, who was aged 17 at the time, threw a corrosive solution on the victim as she... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372525/hong-kong-teen-jailed-8-years-acid-attack-singaporean-tourist https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372525/hong-kong-teen-jailed-8-years-acid-attack-singaporean-tourist Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:58:22 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A police officer investigating the alleged murder of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has denied tampering with the evidence he collected from a rural village flat where her dismembered remains were found. Detective Constable Chan Wai-hung on Wednesday rejected a defence contention that the alleged crime scene in Tai Po’s Lung Mei village had been contaminated because investigating officers failed to follow proper procedures. Testifying under cross-examination in the High Court, Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372462/police-officer-denies-evidence-was-contaminated-flat-abby-choi-murder-trial https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372462/police-officer-denies-evidence-was-contaminated-flat-abby-choi-murder-trial Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:30:20 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Warning: graphic content follows. Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s dismembered remains were found inside a rural village flat that reeked of disinfectant when police arrived at the scene three days after the model’s alleged murder, a court has heard. A police detective involved in the investigation said on Tuesday that officers cordoned off the 600 square foot rental flat in Tai Po’s Lung Mei village on the evening of February 24, 2023, after he found human remains and an array of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372332/abby-chois-remains-found-flat-reeking-disinfectant-murder-trial-hears https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372332/abby-chois-remains-found-flat-reeking-disinfectant-murder-trial-hears Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:23 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong beautician has been sentenced to four years in jail for tricking two friends into forced labour and confinement in Myanmar’s notorious “KK Park” scam farm, with a judge slamming her actions as “vicious and inhumane”. District Court Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching on Tuesday said the 33-year-old defendant, Poon Sum-yi, had premeditated the fraudulent scheme to lure the two victims into travelling to Thailand, before selling them to the Chinese-run scam compound in neighbouring Myanmar... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372322/hong-kong-beautician-gets-4-years-selling-friends-myanmar-scam-hub https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372322/hong-kong-beautician-gets-4-years-selling-friends-myanmar-scam-hub Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:04:22 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A former Deliveroo rider who suffered severe brain injuries in a traffic accident has taken the platform to a Hong Kong court to seek compensation, arguing that resolving the legal question of his employment status at the time of the accident warrants a full trial. In the District Court on Tuesday, Deliveroo’s Hong Kong liquidator applied to strike out the lawsuit, contending that the injured worker, Lok Sze-chun, offered only a “bare assertion” to support his claim of being entitled to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3372308/injured-hong-kong-delivery-rider-seeks-full-trial-employment-status-question https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3372308/injured-hong-kong-delivery-rider-seeks-full-trial-employment-status-question Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:20:46 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au More than 1,600 customers of Hong Kong Airlines and two electrical appliance retailers received suspected scam calls following personal data leaks, the city’s privacy watchdog has found. In one airline-related scam, a retiree was cheated out of HK$1.2 million (US$153,850), the Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) said on Tuesday, citing police information. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said it had received 34 complaints and 30 inquiries... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372248/2000-customers-hong-kong-airlines-2-appliance-shops-get-scam-calls-after-data-breach https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372248/2000-customers-hong-kong-airlines-2-appliance-shops-get-scam-calls-after-data-breach Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:48:40 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen The long wait for criminal cases to be heard in Hong Kong’s courts could persist because of a surge in fraud and money laundering litigation, the judiciary has warned, as the Law Society suggested extending sitting hours into the evening. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s panel on administration of justice and legal services, the judiciary said that the total caseload in 2025 reached about 537,000, around 4 per cent higher than the annual average over the previous five years. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372211/evening-sessions-urged-fraud-money-laundering-cases-pack-hong-kong-courts https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372211/evening-sessions-urged-fraud-money-laundering-cases-pack-hong-kong-courts Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:00:08 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s ex-husband lived an affluent lifestyle in mainland China allegedly funded by the model’s money and borrowed a car used to move equipment involved in her killing, a court has heard. The High Court heard on Monday that Alex Kwong Kong-chi used his former partner’s digital wallets to cover his expenses in Guangzhou while evading justice for his role in a HK$6.3 million theft case in 2015. The 31-year-old is standing trial alongside his father, Kwong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372205/abby-chois-ex-husband-used-socialites-money-live-lavishly-mainland-court https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3372205/abby-chois-ex-husband-used-socialites-money-live-lavishly-mainland-court Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:19:03 +0000