Hong Kong salesman goes on trial for manslaughter after allegedly pushing older man who banged head on ground and died
- Leung Ching-yin, 28, has denied unlawful killing of Chow Chun-wo, 63, who died from brain injuries two days after their dispute
- The two men got into an altercation when Chow jumped line at Central ferry pier after march on June 16, 2019, court hears
A salesman has gone on trial for manslaughter over the death of a man he allegedly pushed during a fight over queue-jumping at a ferry pier after a march during Hong Kong’s social unrest in 2019.
Prosecutors on Thursday opened their case against 28-year-old Leung Ching-yin after he denied the unlawful killing of 63-year-old Chow Chun-wo, who died of a fractured skull and brain injuries two days after their altercation.
“The incident began with a rather trivial matter of jumping [a] queue, followed by some verbal dispute between the defendant and the deceased,” Senior Public Prosecutor Kelvin Tang Ming-chung said. “Eventually, a single push by the defendant on the deceased led to [the latter’s] death.”
The High Court heard a large number of people were queuing at Central Pier 7 at the time, waiting to cross the harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui following the march on Hong Kong Island, shortly before 10pm on June 16, 2019.
The demonstration came a day after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the suspension of a controversial extradition bill.
According to organisers, the demonstration drew a record turnout of nearly 2 million protesters, who called for a full withdrawal of the bill and the chief executive’s resignation, among other demands.
At issue in the present case was whether Leung was acting in lawful self-defence – holding a genuine belief that it was necessary for him to defend himself and apply a reasonable level of force in doing so.
“The prosecution will say the push was intentional, unlawful and dangerous,” Tang said.