Village head's assailants in court

Two men accused of an acid attack against Mai Po Village representative Man Kwai-ki were charged in Fanling Magistrates' Court on Tuesday with wounding and using force or duress against an electoral candidate.

The attack occurred in Shenzhen in July 2010 during the election for the New Territories village council. The two defendants, surnamed Tam and Yeung, allegedly splashed acid on Man as he stopped at a Shenzhen gas station. The pair were arrested in 2011 and sent to prison by a Shenzhen court, where they admitted to having received a HK$60,000 reward for the attack aimed at making Man quit the race. The mastermind of the incident is yet to be prosecuted.

Tam and Yeung were arrested by Hong Kong police at Shenzhen Bay border control point on Monday, when they returned to Hong Kong, after serving their time on the mainland.

No plea was taken on Tuesday. The two defendants were released on HK$10,000 bail each.

Teen strips home clean for HK$1,500

A 17-year-old girl who sold all household appliances at her home for a mere HK$1,500 to raise money so she could leave home was sentenced to 18 months probation by the Sha Tin Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Lee Hing-leung, a school drop-out, earlier pleaded guilty to theft. The court heard that Lee called a used appliance collector on June 25 and sold him appliances from air conditioners to an alarm clock, claiming the family had to get rid of everything before redecorating the apartment.

Her mother returned home to find a bare apartment and a note from the daughter, who declared she had decided to leave home. The angry mother called police.

Violent husband sent to Siu Lam

A schizophrenic man who pummeled his wife with a dumbbell after a quarrel, was sentenced to six months of psychiatric treatment in Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre on Tuesday.

Szeto Kwong-wah, 71, earlier pleaded guilty to wounding with intent in the District Court. The court heard that the defendant, diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2002, had stopped taking his medication because of its side effects. After a quarrel with his wife at their home in Ngau Tau Kok on February 22, he took a 5-kg dumbbell and hit his wife on the head, causing massive bleeding. He stabbed himself with a pair of scissors and drank bleach afterward but was rescued by police officers who were called to investigate the disturbance.

In mitigation, his wife and son told the court they have forgiven Szeto.

34% ask for HKDSE recheck

Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) said on Tuesday, 34 percent of candidates who wrote the Hong Kong Diploma Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination applied for rechecking and remarking of their exam papers. Only 3 percent succeeded in improving their exam results.

Compared to the 38 percent rechecking and remarking rate of previous A-Level examinations, this year's 34 percent was expectable, said Tong Chong-sze, secretary general of HKEAA.

China Daily

(HK Edition 08/15/2012 page1)