Couple jailed for killing three-month-old baby entrusted to their care

A young couple who violently mishandled a three-month-old boy left in their charge in 2022, ultimately causing him to choke to death on milk, were sentenced in the High Court on Tuesday to seven years and three years and two months in prison, respectively.

Jerry Ip Chun-yin, the male defendant, admitted manslaughter, while both he and his partner, Lam Ka-hei, pleaded guilty to cruelty to a child. 

Court documents revealed that in August 2022, while babysitting the infant in Tai Kok Tsui for its parents, the pair repeatedly slapped the baby, struck his back, forced a milk bottle into his mouth, and blew hot air from a hairdryer on him. 

The sustained abuse led to the boy choking on milk and suffocating.

Justice Rebecca Li sentenced Yip to seven years’ imprisonment for manslaughter and a concurrent term for cruelty, while Lam received three years and two months for her role in the fatal neglect and abuse.