Triad member sentenced to over thirteen years for fatal Tsim Sha Tsui bar brawl

A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to thirteen years and ten months in prison by the High Court for his involvement in a deadly triad brawl at a Tsim Sha Tsui bar that left one person dead and three others severely injured.

The presiding judge Andrew Chan Hing-wai emphasized that the defendant's relentless and vicious attack, which continued even after the victim had collapsed and lost consciousness, was tantamount to murder.

Brutal attack using makeshift weapons

The fatal incident took place in October of 2020 at the M1 Bar, sparked by a dispute between members of the rival Wo Shing Wo and 14K triad factions who subsequently called for reinforcements.

During the sentencing, the judge noted that while traditional weapons like meat cleavers or metal pipes were not utilized during the clash, the assailants resorted to using heavy whiskey bottles and metal chairs.

The court highlighted that thick glass bottles carry a lethal force comparable to that of a metal hammer.

The defendant was found to have joined the fray right from the beginning at the bar counter and deliberately continued his assault without mercy, causing the severe injuries that ultimately led to the victim's death.

Manslaughter and wounding convictions

The defendant faced a retrial alongside a co-defendant, where a jury acquitted both men of murder but found them guilty of multiple lesser charges.

The 28-year-old Wong Wing-kit was convicted of one count of manslaughter, two counts of wounding with intent, and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Although the defendant submitted a letter expressing deep remorse and pleading for a lighter sentence, the judge established a high starting point of thirteen and a half years for the manslaughter charge due to the near-murder nature of the crime.

After applying a legal deduction, the sentence for manslaughter was set at eleven years and four months.

Gang rivalry aggravates sentencing

The court also addressed the additional charges stemming from the violent gang conflict.

The judge pointed out that the triad element of the brawl and the sheer ferocity of the attack, which involved hurling heavy metal chairs and left the surviving victims suffering from long-term injuries, were significant aggravating factors.

The defendant received four years in prison for each of the two wounding charges and eighteen months for the assault charge.

With portions of these terms ordered to run consecutively with the manslaughter sentence, his total time behind bars amounts to thirteen years and ten months.

Earlier in the legal proceedings, his co-defendant received a sentence of eleven years and four months, while six other triad members, including the mastermind who initiated the call for backup, were handed prison terms ranging from ten years to over ten years and four months.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓