Upset father attacks officer

A police officer was attacked by an emotional father wielding a knife while the officer was investigating the death of a young man at a Tuen Mun flat on Tuesday.

The policeman's condition has stabilized after treatment in Tuen Mun Hospital for facial wounds.

The police said two officers arrived at a flat in Wu Tsui House, Wu King Estate where they found the body of the 25-year-old man.

When one officer briefly left the room to summon help, the 58-year-old father of the deceased suddenly attacked the other officer with a 10-inch cleaver.

It's unclear what spurred the outbreak.

The father has no history of mental illness but is known as to consume alcohol.

The officers said the man was intoxicated when they arrived and that the man was evidently upset.

No suspicious circumstances have been detected in the death of the young man, who had been ill.

Probation for burying infant

A teenage couple who buried their dead baby on a remote hillside in October 2010 were sentenced to 12 months' probation in the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Ma Hoi-cheng and her boyfriend Cheung Chun-kit earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to prevent the lawful burial of a body.

The court heard that Ma, then 17, gave birth at home but the infant dropped into the toilet and drowned.

Ma then called Cheung, then 16, who buried the baby on a hill in Fan Ling, assisted by a friend.

Alerted by a passerby, the police caught Cheung and his friend red-handed.

Acting Principal Magistrate Rickie Chan said the crime warrants a jail term but leniency was shown because of the two pleaded guilty and both had positive probation reports.

Chan also urged parents to pay closer attention to children, referring to the fact that Ma's parents had no idea about their daughter's pregnancy.

10-year sentence for slaying

A 26-year-old drug addict was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Court of Appeal on Tuesday for killing his stepfather in 2008.

Vicken Chiu Wai-kan, who had an eight-year history of ketamine abuse, stabbed his stepfather, 75, with a screwdriver and scissors before strangling him in their To Kwa Wan home.

Chiu was initially convicted of murder, though an expert witness testified he might have been influenced by a mental disorder induced by the drug abuse.

The appellate court changed the conviction to manslaughter in February.

20 affected in HFMD outbreak

A total 17 children and three staff members at a Tuen Mun kindergarten have been affected by an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).

Two of those who became ill required hospitalization. Both have since been discharged. All are in stable condition.

China Daily

(HK Edition 08/31/2011 page1)