Jury Discharged in Sai Wan Taxi Murder Trial
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A Hong Kong High Court judge has discharged the jury and ordered a retrial in the Sai Wan taxi murder case after jurors deliberated for more than 16 hours without reaching a valid majority verdict . The 31-year-old unemployed defendant denies one count of murder over the death of 48-year-old taxi driver Wai Kim-hung in October 2021 . The trial lasted 22 days, and the seven-member jury was made up of five women and two men . The prosecution alleges the attack was planned, while the defence case centred on the defendant's schizophrenia and diminished responsibility .
Key Points
- After more than 16 hours of deliberation, the five-woman, two-man jury failed to reach a valid majority verdict, leading Justice Judianna Barnes Wai-ling to discharge it on Wednesday, August 12 .
- Prosecutors said Wai Kim-hung, a married father of three and night-shift taxi driver on Hong Kong Island, was working as usual on October 11 into the early hours of October 12, 2021 .
- At about 4:50am on October 12, the defendant allegedly hailed the taxi outside the Best Western Hotel on Eastern Street in Sai Ying Pun, carrying a knife and a cleaning towel .
- The prosecution said the defendant allegedly slashed the driver in the neck immediately after boarding, fled the scene, and the victim later collapsed beside the cab and died in hospital .
- Police said they found the defendant's phone inside the taxi, recovered a jacket, mask and towel nearby, and later found the victim's blood at the defendant's home and on a shoe sole .
Why It Matters
The retrial means the case will return to court despite a full 22-day hearing, extending proceedings for the victim's family and the accused . It also keeps in focus how Hong Kong courts handle serious violent crime cases where psychiatric evidence is central to whether liability is murder or manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility .