Filipino driver gets life sentence for murder over fatal assault on girlfriend

A 45-year-old Filipino domestic worker has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a jury found him guilty of murdering his girlfriend following a violent altercation in their Hong Kong flat.

The High Court on Wednesday delivered its verdict on Bernie Macatangay Valencia, who denied murdering 37-year-old Ivy Villaluz Quiabang more than three years ago.

The seven-member High Court jury comprised of four men and three women this afternoon returned a 6-1 majority guilty verdict after nearly four hours of deliberation, convicting Valencia of murdering his partner Quiabang by punching her repeatedly in the head at a subdivided flat in Wan Chai’s Stone Nullah Lane on December 22, 2021.

The court previously heard that a fight between Valencia and Quiabang after a Christmas party had turned violent on their return to their subdivided unit.

Valencia, who was at the time applying for a new visa as a foreign domestic helper with driving duties, threw several punches at Quiabang, leaving her badly bruised and unable to get up or eat properly.

The prosecutor said that although Valencia could see the victim in bad shape, he did not call authorities for help. He waited until the following night to ask fellow tenants at the subdivided flat to check on his girlfriend.

It was not until then that they found Quiabang badly injured, with the victim having already slipped into a coma when she was rushed to Ruttonjee Hospital. She was later moved to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital after she was found to have suffered a brain hemorrhage. She was immediately operated on but never regained consciousness.

The single mother of two passed away at 7.52am on January 2, 2022, the day she was supposed to move in with a new employer.