Abby Choi ex-father-in-law admits illegal body disposal
SCMP · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The High Court trial over the killing of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung took a dramatic turn when her former father-in-law, Kwong Kau, changed his plea and admitted illegally disposing of her body. The retired police officer had initially denied the charge, but entered the guilty plea during the fifth week of proceedings before a nine-member jury. He remains on trial for murder alongside his sons, Anthony Kwong Kong-kit and Alex Kwong Kong-chi, who had already pleaded guilty to preventing Choi’s burial before the trial began. Prosecutors allege the killing followed a family dispute over the proposed sale of a HK$72 million flat at Kadooria in Ho Man Tin
Key Points
- Kwong Kau, described as a retired police officer or sergeant, changed his plea on the body-disposal charge during the fifth week, or 27th day, of trial.
- The prosecution alleges Abby Choi, 28, was murdered on February 21, 2023, at a ground-floor village house unit in Lung Mei Village, Tai Po.
- Police later found some of Choi’s remains in a 600 sq ft rented flat, including legs in a refrigerator and her head in a soup pot
- Detective Constable Chan Wai-hung told the court the flat’s windows were sealed with black tape and smelled strongly of air freshener
- Anthony Kwong Kong-kit and Alex Kwong Kong-chi had pleaded guilty before trial to preventing burial, but both continue to contest the murder charge.
Why It Matters
The plea reversal narrows one part of the criminal case but leaves the central murder allegations to be decided by the jury. For Hong Kong readers, the evidence heard in open court has also brought renewed attention to how a high-profile family dispute allegedly escalated into one of the city’s most shocking homicide cases.