Hong Kong merchant jailed for trying to kill wife, daughters amid debt woes
A Hong Kong merchant has been jailed for five years and four months for attempting to murder his wife and three daughters by burning charcoal in their public rental flat after struggling to repay debts totalling nearly HK$900,000 (US$115,000). The High Court on Monday sentenced Wong Pak-ting in what the presiding judge described as a “tragic” case. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty in May to four…
A Hong Kong merchant has been sentenced to five years and four months in jail for attempting to murder his wife and three daughters by burning charcoal in their rental flat. The 45-year-old, Wong Pak-ting, pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder after spiking food and drinks with sleeping pills and attempting to kill himself with them.
Wong said he struggled to repay debts totaling nearly HK$900,000 (US$115,000) and feared his family would be harassed by debt collectors. Police found his family conscious and unharmed, suffering only minor carbon monoxide poisoning. Wong was arrested days later. The judge described the offence as "horrific" but mitigated by Wong's decision to stop short of killing his family. The verdict reflects Wong's remorse and willingness to seek help.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
