Paralysed officer Chu Chun-kwok dies after 21 years
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago9 MIN
Summary
Police constable Chu Chun-kwok, who was severely injured in a 2005 knife attack while on patrol in Cheung Sha Wan and left paralysed, died on 16 September 2026 with family by his side. The case drew renewed attention because the attacker had his sentence increased on review, was later released on parole, and was not ultimately required to pay compensation under a later settlement
Key Points
- The attack happened on the morning of 19 July 2005 outside the Po On Road Municipal Services Building, where Chu, then 30 and patrolling alone, stopped a suspicious man for questioning
- The assailant, 23-year-old Liu Chi-yung (廖智勇), was carrying a knife and allegedly trying to rob passers-by when he slashed Chu's carotid artery and fled
- Despite heavy bleeding, Chu chased the attacker for about 50 metres before collapsing; oxygen deprivation to the brain left him paralysed and bedridden for the rest of his life
- Liu surrendered later the same afternoon to another police officer at Prince Edward MTR Station, and in 2006 admitted possessing an offensive weapon and wounding while resisting arrest
- After prosecutors sought a sentence review, the Court of Appeal increased Liu's jail term from six years to 10 years in January 2007; he was reportedly paroled in April 2011 after about five years and nine months
- Chu remained under long-term treatment and rehabilitation, including Chinese and Western medical care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Guangzhou, but his condition did not show meaningful improvement after he returned to Hong Kong in 2008. His mother said in 2016 that without a private carer and regular massage after his return, his limbs began to atrophy, and both his mother and wife said they would not forgive Liu
- The civil aftermath also remained contentious. According to court documents filed by the Department of Justice, the Police Force paid more than HK$4.94 million in compensation to Chu. A settlement was reached in 2016 after the Department sought a contribution order against Liu, but because Chu had been assessed as lacking mental capacity and Liu had been declared bankrupt, Chu's side did not pursue compensation and the Department also dropped recovery efforts; the settlement amount was kept confidential
- Chu's case was formally recognised by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2006, when he was awarded the Gold Medal for Bravery for continuing the pursuit despite life-threatening injuries. The official citation praised him for pressing on in the line of duty at grave personal risk and described his conduct as a model of the highest bravery. Then police commissioner Tang King-shing visited him in Guangzhou in 2007, accompanied by senior officers Tsang Wai-hung and John Lee Ka-chiu
- Chu's family remained closely involved throughout his illness. His daughter, who was eight at the time of the attack, later studied art and design in Australia and now lives there. In earlier interviews, Chu's wife said their daughter understood that her father had fulfilled his duty as a police officer, and the daughter later said on social media that she was proud of him and hoped to record the family's experience in a book so future generations would know that her father was a hero
Why It Matters
Chu's death closes a case that has remained part of Hong Kong's public memory for more than two decades, linking frontline policing, long-term family caregiving and the limits of compensation after catastrophic injury. It is also likely to renew discussion over how the city honours officers injured in the line of duty and supports their families over many years, not only at the time of the attack