Hong Kong couple jailed for 9 months for ‘disrespectful’ disposal of 2 infants’ corpses
Magistrate says pair ‘disrespectful’ of the dead, adding their actions had obstructed further investigation into possible illegal abortions
A couple have been jailed for nine months each for the “disrespectful” disposal of their two infants’ bodies, which were uncovered from glass jars abandoned in a Hong Kong flat earlier this year.
Warehouse keeper Lam Tsz-hon, 24, and public relations professional Chau Ying-wah, 22, pleaded guilty last month to two joint counts of preventing the burial of their children’s remains in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
During the sentencing at Fanling Court on Monday, acting principal magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai said the two baby boys had been found with cocaine in their livers, and noted the defendants had a history of substance abuse.
But there was no evidence the mother had used abortion pills, he noted.
Cheung said their actions had prevented law enforcement from identifying the infants’ cause of death, thereby obstructing further investigations into possible crimes such as illegal abortions.
“You two committed these offences together and looked for ways to embalm the two deceased in containers,” the magistrate told the accused. “The court considers it a disrespectful way to treat the deceased.”
