Jury rules "raincoat man” died of misadventure

"The man in yellow raincoat" who fell to his death from Pacific Place at the height of the civil unrest two years ago died of misadventure, a five-member jury inquest ruled today.

But the coroner's jury of two men and three women also advised the Fire Services Department (FSD) to look into purchasing more facilities for rescue operations to reduce the risks of people dying when they try to jump off high buildings.

Marco Leung Ling-kit, 35, known as “the raincoat man” for the yellow slicker he was wearing before he plunged 17 meters to his death from a scaffolding on the fourth floor of Pacific Place in Admiralty on June 15, 2019.

The jury was required to decide whether Leung committed suicide, died of misadventure or an accident when coroner David Ko Wai-hung offered them guidance today. They returned the verdict after nearly six hours of closed-door deliberation.

The jury said the police should take charge of all falling incidents in the future so that rescue work could be more organized.

They also said the FSD should consider buying more tools and equipment for high altitude rescue operations, including smaller rescue cushions that are more suitable for Hong Kong and thickened canvas to cover the space between rescue cushions and the ground.

The Build King company, which was in charge of renovating the Pacific Place when Leung died, should block all entrances of the building, the jury said, adding that notices to prohibit passers-by from entering should be put up.

The coroner Ko said he felt sorry for Leung’s death even though his family did not show up at the nine-day inquest, and hoped his loved ones could start a happy new life.

Ko also said he understood that the public would have a lot of inquiries about high-profile cases, adding it is normal in "a healthy society”.

The Coroner’s Court is set up to investigate suspicious deaths and coroner’s inquiries are supposed to alleviate public doubts, he said.

But Ko complained Hong Kong has only two coroners for a city of seven million, while New Zealand has 17 coroners for its five million people.

Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung told The Standard today that the verdict of misadventure means there would be no legal basis to hold anyone responsible for Leung’s death.

The coroner’s court may not always find the true cause of death,” Luk said.

Leung’s family has to accept the fact that no one will be held responsible for his death, he said, but at least they now have a better idea of what they can or cannot do in the future.

“The family of Leung would know there is nothing much they can do [to pursue the truth of Leung’s death], but they wouldn’t have known that if there was not a coroner’s inquest,” he said.

In guiding the jury today, Ko said Leung appeared to have suicidal plans before the incident as he searched about suicide online, asked about life insurance and filled out a registration form of a wish for a green burial.

But Leung did not say he wanted to commit suicide on the day, Ko said.

Ko said Leung climbed out of the scaffolding he was standing on and struggled when emergency personnel approached him. Video clips played in court also showed that Leung looked down at the rescue cushion set up on the pavement.

The jury could say Leung died of misadventure if they believed that Leung chose to fall from the scaffolding because he thought he could land on the rescue cushion, he said.

If the jury did not think Leung committed suicide or died of misadventure, they may consider if it was an accidental death, Ko said, adding it was also possible that Leung did not want to die but he fell from the scaffolding due to lack of physical strength.