Life sentence for violent father who shook daughter to death

High Court Judge Anna Lai Yuen-kee on Wednesday handed a man a mandatory life sentence after a jury unanimously concluded he was guilty of murdering his three-year-old daughter by violently shaking her to death in 2020.

The 42-year-old man, Lau Kai-ping, was accused of willfully assaulting his daughter between May and July 18, 2020, and murdering her on July 29, 2020, the date she passed away at Princess Margaret Hospital.

His daughter, Leung Nga-sze, died from an acute brain bleed believed to be the result of violent shaking.

Passing sentencing, the judge said the court did not accept the defense's plea for leniency in the child abuse case.

Apart from the admitted facts of child abuse, the defendant engaged in multiple abusive behaviors, including showering the victim with cold water when she cried, shaking the victim, and banging the victim's head against the ground.

The court previously heard the prosecution describe the defendant as extremely egocentric and selfish, accusing him of physically assaulting his daughter in the name of parenting.

The defense argued that Lau and his girlfriend were unprepared for parenthood and claimed that violence was an occasional occurrence in their household, stating that while they sometimes fought, they were also loving at other times.

Lau had earlier pleaded guilty to child abuse before the trial began.

The Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights said it was outraged by the cruel and inhuman treatment inflicted on the baby girl Nga-sze, and called on the government to further strengthen laws and systems to better protect children.

The measures include introducing a new offense to penalize bystanders for failing to protect children, completely banning corporal punishment, and incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into the city’s domestic laws.