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Won Sam-lung uses a mobile phone for the first time in 19 years
while enjoying lunch with his brother almost immediately after regaining his
freedom. -Alan Lai
A former cook, who took part in the brutal murders of two expatriate teenagers
at Braemar Hill in 1985, plans to contact the families of the victims to
personally apologise for the pain and suffering he had caused them.
Won Sam-lung, who was 16 at the time of the killings, walked out of Stanley
Prison on Tuesday after spending almost 19 years behind bars for the murders of
Island School students Kenneth McBride, 17, and Nicola Myers, 18.
Won said he felt ``enormous sorrow'' and wanted to tell the families how sorry
he was. However, he said he had no means of contacting them.
He deserved his punishment, he said, and urged youngsters not to waste their
youth and be thankful to all those who supported them. He said he had learned a
bitter lesson after having lost his freedom for so long.
Immediately after his release from jail, , Won and his brother rushed to a
restaurant in Admiralty where he had dim sum. ``It was delicious. I
enjoyed every bite of it. It was like tasting freedom,'' he said.
Won said he missed his mother, who was unable to join them. She is now more than
70 years old and in poor health, and he has not seen her for 10 years. There
would be a lot of catching up to do, he said.
Won, who confessed to his role in the gruesome murders, was sentenced to be
``detained at Her Majesty's pleasure'' in September 1985.
In 1997, the sentence was changed to the chief executive's pleasure but it
wasn't until earlier this year that those serving indeterminate sentences were
given definite terms. Won was sentenced to 27 years, but the Long-Term Prison
Sentences Review Board recommended that he be released, having served two
thirds of that time. His release was ordered by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.
The father of Kenneth McBride had written to Tung in 1998, asking that Won be
forgiven.
``I have brought them enormous sorrow and I know that, in my whole life, I can
never compensate them for what they have lost. I'm sorry for them,'' Won
said.``I'm also thankful for their forgiveness and mercy.''
Won admitted that he once contemplated suicide while in prison.
He also said he had recurring nightmares of the murders but that these ceased
after McBride wrote the letter to Tung. ``I found it hard to understand being
forgiven. It shocked me, but it also told me that love can change a person,''
he said.
Won said that while in prison, he began studying accountancy and took several
examinations, including those set by the London Chamber of Commerce and the
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He has now been offered a job
as a clerk in a law firm and promised that he would continue studying
accountancy.
``I need a job and I hope I can now enjoy a private life,'' he said.
He feared that while it might be hard to adapt to life outside prison, he
believed his religious beliefs would help make him a determined and strong
person.
His elder brother, who visited him every month while he was in prison, said he
had already bought a new bed and daily accessories for his sibling.
``He is my brother. I will not give him up,'' he said.
He said his younger brother had not been a burden nor had he affected their
family's reputation.
``I am glad that my brother has been released. The family has been waiting for
this day for 19 years,'' he said.
He thanked Tung and lawmaker Leung Yiu-chung, who has been campaigning for many
years for those serving indeterminate jail sentences.
Chris Forse, a former teacher of McBride and Myers, urged the community to
accept Won.
Forse, who has been deputy principal of Island School since 1989 and is
currently on secondment at ESF headquarters, was teaching at the Island School
when the murders occurred.
He vividly remembered his shock when he was informed of what had happened. He
still keeps the pictures of his students and newspaper clippings of a memorial
service for McBride and Myers.
``I couldn't really accept what I heard, or even continue with the telephone
conversation, that's what I do remember, putting the phone down and saying
sorry I can't deal with [it].
``Ultimately, those in prison for a long period for crimes committed when they
were very young should, at some stage, have their cases reviewed.''
Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention counsellor Chan Fook-sai said
society should understand more about young offenders.
``I think they have already paid a high price for their mistakes. Won had lost
his freedom for 19 years. He will face a lot of difficulties from now on,'' he
said.
Five people were arrested and convicted for the murders. Three of them, aged
between 20 and 25 at the time of the murders, were sentenced to death but these
were changed to life imprisonment. They remain in prison.
Another killer, Cheung Yau-hang who was 16 at the time, was also sentenced to be
``detained at Her Majesty's pleasure'' and is still in jail.
teddy.ng@globalchina.com
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