1991 watch shop murder accused dies in custody
AM730 · 2 SOURCES1 day ago4 MIN
Summary
A 62-year-old mainland Chinese defendant in the 1991 Sham Shui Po watch shop robbery-murder case collapsed in a holding cell while attending proceedings at the High Court and was later pronounced dead in a public hospital. The man, Man Wan-yip (文穩業), had lung cancer and had earlier been found unfit to plead after the defence said he had stage-four lung adenocarcinoma that had spread to his brain.
Key Points
- Correctional Services Department staff found Man Wan-yip unconscious in a single-person cell at about 1pm and began first aid before calling an ambulance.
- He was taken to a public hospital for treatment, but his condition worsened and he was certified dead at about 3:30pm.
- The Correctional Services Department said he had lung cancer and had been receiving treatment and follow-up care at an institution hospital and public hospitals.
- Man allegedly fled after the 1991 case and was arrested when he came to Hong Kong in 2023, facing murder and attempted robbery charges.
- The case opened for trial earlier this month, and a jury later ruled that he was unfit to plead after the defence disclosed his stage-four illness.
Why It Matters
Police have been notified and the Coroner's Court will conduct an inquest, meaning the circumstances of the death in custody will now be formally examined. The defendant's death also brings an abrupt halt to proceedings in one of Hong Kong's long-running cold-case prosecutions revived after his 2023 arrest.