HK tutor’s sentence for failed murder plot reduced to 24 years on appeal

The Court of Appeal reduced the prison sentence of a 32-year-old former tutor from 27 years to 24 years on Friday, rejecting his appeal against conviction but ruling that his original sentence was ultimately too severe. The tutor had been convicted of masterminding a detailed plot to assassinate a friend using real firearms, silencers, and hundreds of rounds of live ammunition.

A highly calculated and dangerous conspiracy

The appellant, Stephen So Hon-to, was convicted of conspiracy to murder a man surnamed Lam between November and December 2018, as well as conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition without a license.

In their judgment, Court of Appeal Vice President Andrew Macrae, alongside Justices Kevin Zervos and Keith Yeung, emphasized that the murder plot was far from a mere fantasy. Instead, it was described as a highly calculated and appalling scheme.

So had meticulously planned the assassination to settle a personal grievance, believing the victim had defrauded and betrayed him.

To execute the plan while avoiding personal liability, So recruited three teenagers, including a female friend, and personally taught them how to operate the weapons.

He even attempted to distance himself from the planned crime scene by booking a trip to Japan to establish a solid alibi. The conspiracy involved a significant cache of weaponry, including real handguns, silencers, approximately 500 rounds of live ammunition, and explosives.

Appellate judges trim 'excessive' 27-year term

While the appellate judges agreed that So posed a substantial and persistent threat to society, necessitating a long period of isolation from the public, they deemed the initial 27-year term excessive.

The judges noted that while some might feel the lengthy sentence was well-deserved, the ultimate failure of the plot had to be taken into account when evaluating the overall totality of the sentence.

Though they stressed that the failure of the scheme was purely due to the victim's luck rather than any remorse or hesitation on So's part, the court ultimately approved the sentence appeal, reducing the total jail term to 24 years.

Recruits teenager to carry out hit

The prosecution's case revealed that So first met his co-conspirator, Chak, via Facebook in 2016 when she was just 16 years old. The two grew close through shared interests in tactical airsoft games at abandoned school sites.

By December 2018, So pressured Chak into storing three real handguns and 500 rounds of live ammunition for him, instructing her to assassinate Lam, who was known by the nickname "Hobbit."

Under So's directions, Chak was introduced to another co-defendant, So, and tasked with passing the weapons to him to carry out the hit.

The group made a physical attempt to execute the murder but failed after Chak accidentally misplaced her mobile phone, disrupting their coordination.

On December 30, 2018, So instructed Chak to test-fire a handgun at an abandoned school in Tai Po.

The loud gunfire drew immediate attention, forcing them to flee the scene. So was intercepted and arrested by police at the Hong Kong International Airport on New Year's Eve as he attempted to board a flight to Japan, leading to the subsequent arrests of his accomplices.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓