Wife tells murder trial of repeated kicks to driver’s head
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A Hong Kong High Court murder trial heard further evidence over the death of 48-year-old bus driver Ho Lok-man after an alleged assault linked to a dispute about smoking at Amoy Gardens in Kowloon Bay on the night of September 19, 2023. The defendant, 52-year-old renovation worker Tam Yun-chiu (譚潤超), is charged with murdering Ho on October 1, 2023. Ho’s wife told the court that her husband said he argued with another man over smoking, a fight broke out, and the other man kept kicking his head after he fell. A police witness also said Ho reported being punched in the face after leaving a lift and then kicked while on the ground
Key Points
- The prosecution case concerns Tam Yun-chiu, 52, a renovation worker charged with murdering bus driver Ho Lok-man, 48, in Hong Kong on October 1, 2023.
- Police officer Lau Sheung-wan said Ho reported that at about 11:20pm on September 19, 2023, he encountered an unfamiliar man smoking inside a lift at Amoy Gardens
- According to Lau, Ho said he rebuked the smoker, argued with him, and was punched in the face after leaving the lift before being kicked on the ground
- Ho’s wife Hui Mei-bo told the court that Ho later said the dispute was over smoking, they “started fighting”, and the other man kept kicking his head.
- Sing Tao reported Ho went home after discharge, said he was tired, vomited once before sleep, later became unconscious, and died on October 1 after 11 days in hospital
Why It Matters
The case focuses on how a brief confrontation in a residential estate allegedly escalated into fatal violence, an issue with obvious public-safety implications for Hong Kong residents using shared spaces. The trial evidence also matters because the court is hearing the victim’s own account as relayed to police and his wife, alongside medical and prosecution evidence on the cause of death.