Family tragedy: Elderly man jailed for four years and eight months over strangling mental ill daughter

A 74-year-old security guard was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after being convicted of manslaughter for killing his mentally ill daughter following years of emotional abuse.

The defendant, Chan Kwai-sang, was found guilty by a seven-member jury, which unanimously acquitted him of murder but convicted him of manslaughter by reason of provocation. The High Court heard that Chan, overwhelmed by years of mistreatment, acted in a moment of emotional collapse.

With time already served, around three years and five months, Chan is expected to be released soon.

Strangled After Two Hours of Verbal Abuse

The incident occurred in the early hours of March 7, 2022, at the family’s flat in Hoi Wen House, Hoi Fu Court, Mong Kok. Chan allegedly strangled his 32-year-old daughter, Chan Hang-sze, after she subjected him to two hours of verbal abuse and refused to let him use the bathroom.

He told police he then sat alone in the room for about an hour, thinking through what he was about to do, before ultimately killing her. He later called the police and confessed.

“Extra-Legal Mercy”

During sentencing today, High Court Justice Amanda Jane Woodcock described the case as “tragic.”

She acknowledged Chan had expressed his intention to plead guilty early in the proceedings and had endured long-term provocation. Citing “extra-legal mercy,” she set a starting point of seven years’ imprisonment and reduced the term by one-third for his early guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of provocation.

Years of Psychological Abuse 

Court documents and police statements revealed that Chan had endured years of verbal and physical abuse from his daughter, who had been diagnosed between 2017 and 2021 with autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Asperger’s syndrome.

Chan’s ex-wife testified that the daughter was controlling—often forbidding the parents from watching television or reading newspapers—and frequently picking fights. Repeated attempts to obtain separate housing for the daughter through social services failed, leaving the family confined in a single unit under immense pressure.

A psychiatric report found Chan suffered from moderate adjustment disorder, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, cramped living conditions, and his daughter’s persistent aggression. He also displayed signs of anxiety and depression. The court accepted these as contributing factors to his loss of self-control.