Tam Fong-chun recounts Patra Poon’s final messages
Bastillepost · 3 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
At the High Court on Wednesday, Tam Fong-chun, husband of murdered socialite Patra Poon, described the last day he was in contact with her before she disappeared on 21 February 2023. He said she agreed at about 2pm to join friends for dinner, but stopped replying after he sent her the time and venue, and he later saw her phone’s last signal in Tai Po.
Key Points
- Tam said he woke at about 10:15am on 21 February 2023, left for his second day of work at a Central restaurant at noon, and had spoken to Poon before leaving home.
- He told the court that at about 2pm he called Poon about meeting friends for dinner, she replied that it was fine, and her last message was sent at 2:06pm.
- After sending further messages, Tam noticed at around 4pm that one message changed from a single tick to a double tick, leading him to suspect her phone had been switched back on.
- Using the Life360 location-sharing app, he saw that Poon’s phone was last located in Tai Po at 4:18pm, after which the signal disappeared, prompting him to search for her.
- Tam said he later went to the Kadoorie Hill flat, where Kwong Kong-chi, Kwong Kong-kit and Lee Sui-heung were present, and Lee said the missing woman might be held for money.
- He testified that Kwong Kong-kit said Poon had got out near Tai Po Centre but could not give an exact location, which Tam said felt like he was being led in circles.
- On 23 February 2023, while leaving Tai Po with Kwong Kong-kit after meeting police from the missing persons unit, Tam said officers phoned to say they strongly suspected the Kwong family and told him to get away.
Why It Matters
Tam’s evidence adds detail to the prosecution timeline by focusing on the final messages, the phone-location trail and his interactions with members of Poon’s former in-laws’ family. His account also shows how police suspicion of the Kwong family had escalated by 23 February 2023, before Kwong Kong-kit was returned to the scene and arrested.