Abby Choi murder: lawyers for accused family blame ‘sluggish’ police for repeated trial delays
- Counsel representing Choi’s ex-husband tells Kowloon City Court force’s repeated requests for adjournment have impeded defence’s preparation for high-profile trial
- But prosecutor says government chemists need more time than usual to examine so many pieces of DNA evidence
Lawyers for a Hong Kong family being tried over the murder of model Abby Choi Tin-fung have complained to a court over what they say are excessive delays in the police investigation against them, claiming they have weakened their ability to mount a proper defence.
Counsel representing the family of Choi’s ex-husband told Kowloon City Court on Wednesday the force’s repeated requests for an adjournment had impeded the defence’s preparation for the high-profile trial.
But prosecutors rejected that contention and revealed the investigation would be completed once government chemists finished compiling reports on 150 pieces of evidence sent for DNA examinations.
The court adjourned the case for 10 weeks until December 20. It also instructed the prosecution to inform the defence in advance about the investigation’s progress.
Choi’s dismembered remains were found in a three-storey house in Tai Po’s Lung Mei Tsuen village in late February.
Choi’s former spouse Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 28, his father Kwong Kau, 65, and elder brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit, 31, are awaiting trial behind bars on a joint murder charge.
Alex Kwong’s mother, Jenny Li Sui-heung, 63, has also been remanded in custody for allegedly perverting the course of justice by destroying evidence against her.
Yacht rental agent Lam Shun, 42, and jobless Irene Pun Hau-yin, 30, each face a count of a similar but lesser offence of assisting an offender after they reportedly helped to arrange Alex Kwong’s attempt to flee to Macau. They were both released on a HK$50,000 (US$6,390) bail.
