Two teenagers who nearly chopped off the right hand of a then 7-year-old boy nearly three years ago each had their jail sentences reduced by a year in the Court of Appeal on Friday.

But sentences of the others who were also convicted in the case, which Chief Executive Donald Tsang described as "a totally sick and an intolerable act", remain unchanged.

Shum Ho-yin sustained serious injuries to his right hand after being attacked by youngster Lo Ka-ho, now 17, with the assistance of classmate Chan Chin-hong.

Police investigation revealed that Shum's stepmother Hung Man-yee, 23, had paid HK$42,000 to her ex-boyfriend Tsang Ho-wai to arrange the attack as she felt Shum's father was paying more attention to the boy.

The Court of First Instance in 2006 sentenced Hung to 12 years in jail. Tsang was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment, Lo 10 and Chan nine.

Taxi driver Ng Tak-wing, who was hired to be the getaway driver, was sentenced to eight years in jail.

Yeung Sing-kwong, the middleman who hired Ng, was given two-year imprisonment.

All of the convicted, except Yeung, appealed against the sentences.

The Court of Appeal decided on Friday to reduce the sentences of Lo and Chan by one year each.

The court took into account the fact that the two had pleaded guilty, and their testimonies had led to the conviction of Tsang, whom the court said had played a central role in the crime.

But the court did not reduce the sentences of Hung, Tsang and Ng.

Ng's sentence was left unchanged as the court said he was fully aware that weapons would be used in the attack although he did not know the target of the attack was a boy.

The court described the crime as cold-blooded and believed the boy will bear the physical and psychological scars of the attack for the rest of his life. The boy will also have restricted use of his right hand.

(HK Edition 05/17/2008 page1)