Former mother-in-law of murdered socialite Abby Choi jailed for 18 months for obstructing justice

Jenny Li Sui-heung, the former mother-in-law of murdered socialite Abby Choi, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday for obstructing a police investigation by concealing her son’s whereabouts.

The District Court earlier found the 65-year-old guilty of perverting the course of justice by providing false information to police and urging her son, the main suspect Alex Kwong Kong-chi, to go into hiding between February 22 and 23, 2023.

During the sentencing hearing on Tuesday (Oct 28), the defence sought leniency, citing a separate case in which two individuals were each sentenced to six months in jail for helping Kwong rent a yacht to escape after Choi’s murder.

However, the prosecution argued that Li’s conduct was far more serious, noting that the two individuals in the yacht case were unaware of Kwong’s criminal charges, whereas Li had full knowledge of his circumstances.

The prosecution also highlighted that Li had taken proactive steps to assist her son’s escape, successfully helping him evade arrest for more than two days.

Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi acknowledged the link between the two cases, noting that Kwong had been on the run for seven years over a 2015 theft case and might have continued to evade authorities had Choi’s murder not come to light. He stressed that Li’s sentencing should not be based on the yacht case but on the gravity of her own actions.

Describing the case as an example of “spare the rod and spoil the child,” Chan sentenced Li to 18 months’ imprisonment for her deliberate interference in the investigation.

Choi’s murder, which shocked the city in February 2023, drew widespread public attention after her dismembered remains were discovered in a village house in Tai Po.