Ex of 'wild' beauty contest aspirant plunges to death

An ex-boyfriend of Miss Hong Kong 2020 contestant Jessica Liu Wai-yee plunged to his death from a Yau Ma Tei building yesterday.

Ambulancemen rushed the unconscious Sam Cheung Ka-chun, 27, to Kwong Wah Hospital shortly after 6am where he was certified dead.

Cheung left a message for his friends on Instagram half an hour before his death, thanking them for their support. He said he had been suffering for two months - mentally and physically - and could no longer take it.

He got to know Liu, 24, on a dating app in March last year. They dated for more than a year before they separated in October.

Known as "wild Miss Hong Kong" due to frequent dating gossip surrounding her, Liu was believed to be dating 23-year-old actor Danny Hung Tak-yin, of TVB talk show Young and Restless.

Cheung had once warned Hung to back off, saying he should stop looking for his girlfriend on the actor's Instagram account.

After their breakup, Cheung asked if it had anything to do with her joining the entertainment industry. "Why would you [be so cruel and] leave because of trivial problems? Is it because the entertainment industry has broadened your horizon and you think of me as nothing?" he wrote on Instagram.

Liu later said that Cheung threatened her and her family after the breakup.

"[Cheung] had secretly used my e-mail accounts ... he stalked, threatened and harassed me and even robbed me of my phone on the street," she said. "He also bombarded me with WhatsApp messages. He called me up to 100 times a day till my phone ran out of battery and badmouthed me on Instagram posts."

She said online users did not understand the whole story. Asked about Cheung's death, Liu said she was busy and could not comment. She took a sick leave for a TVB media event yesterday.

Cheung's sister thanked those who showed their concern.

"My brother is no longer here, thank you for all of your concerns. A vigil will be held later," she wrote.

Clarence Tsang Chin-kwok, executive director of the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, advised people not to bottle up their love issues but to confide in others, such as friends or family members.

"It is a good way to quell negative emotions," Tsang said. "People can also divert their attention to other people they loved, such as their family members."

erin.chan@singtaonewscorp.com