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Company director acquitted of murder over mistress death but found guilty of manslaughter
A 49-year-old man suspected to have killed his mistress 11 years ago, whose body was still missing, was found not guilty of the murder but judged manslaughter by a High Court jury on Monday.
Ivan Chan Man-sum, the former company director, was accused of killing his 33-year-old mistress Chun Ka-yee on October 6, 2011. He was arrested under an allegation of murder in April 2012 and faced his first trial in 2015, when a jury found him guilty and the judge ruled him a life sentence.
Chan appealed afterward against the judgment, claiming he had not killed Chun intentionally but "by accident." He went into another trial in 2017 but failed to clear himself of murder, and he appealed again and went to trial on the 3rd of this month.
According to the court today, Chan and Chun met in 2008 and built a romantic relationship when Chun was a hostess in a nightclub. Chan bought a residential flat for Chun to accommodate her in Ngau Tau Kok in 2009.
However, Chan's wife discovered the affair in 2011, which led Chan and Chun to have multiple arguments before Chun was reported missing by her brother.
The court heard that Chun entered her flat in Amoy Gardens on October 5 in 2011, as recorded by the surveillance footage of the residential building, while Chan was shown entering the building on October 6.
From Chan's confession in court, he had a quarrel with Chun that day and lost control to "reach out to press Chun's face and strangled her with his arms," causing her death.
The prosecution in court said the video surveillance recorded Chan leaving the building the day after the accident and pushing a trolley carrying a nylon bag, inside which Chun's body was suspected to be hidden, before he drove to Tseung Kwan O.
The prosecution also alleged that Chan had arranged workers to empty the flat and have his car washed.
Today in court, the jury of five women and four men deliberated for four hours and found Chan not guilty of murder but manslaughter.
Chun's body has not yet been found.
In the court, Chan said he wanted to be released immediately as he had been imprisoned since his arrest, citing the sentence of imprisonment under the court of manslaughter is generally six to nine years under Hong Kong laws.
However, Judge Albert Wong Sung-hau scheduled Chan's sentence for tomorrow afternoon.
Chan appealed afterward against the judgment, claiming he had not killed Chun intentionally but "by accident." He went into another trial in 2017 but failed to clear himself of murder, and he appealed again and went to trial on the 3rd of this month.
According to the court today, Chan and Chun met in 2008 and built a romantic relationship when Chun was a hostess in a nightclub. Chan bought a residential flat for Chun to accommodate her in Ngau Tau Kok in 2009.
However, Chan's wife discovered the affair in 2011, which led Chan and Chun to have multiple arguments before Chun was reported missing by her brother.
The court heard that Chun entered her flat in Amoy Gardens on October 5 in 2011, as recorded by the surveillance footage of the residential building, while Chan was shown entering the building on October 6.
From Chan's confession in court, he had a quarrel with Chun that day and lost control to "reach out to press Chun's face and strangled her with his arms," causing her death.
The prosecution in court said the video surveillance recorded Chan leaving the building the day after the accident and pushing a trolley carrying a nylon bag, inside which Chun's body was suspected to be hidden, before he drove to Tseung Kwan O.
The prosecution also alleged that Chan had arranged workers to empty the flat and have his car washed.
Today in court, the jury of five women and four men deliberated for four hours and found Chan not guilty of murder but manslaughter.
Chun's body has not yet been found.
In the court, Chan said he wanted to be released immediately as he had been imprisoned since his arrest, citing the sentence of imprisonment under the court of manslaughter is generally six to nine years under Hong Kong laws.
However, Judge Albert Wong Sung-hau scheduled Chan's sentence for tomorrow afternoon.
