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A High Court jury has acquitted 14 defendants of all charges linked to the death of a 27-year-old man who succumbed to head injuries after being found unconscious at a boxing gym in Tai Kok Tsui five years ago.
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The trial ended after 24 days when Judge Amanda Jane Woodcock ruled there was no case to answer. She said there was a lack of direct, indirect, or circumstantial evidence to establish a causal link between the defendants and the victim’s death, or to prove they had acted in concert.
Following confirmation from the prosecution that it would not appeal the ruling, the Judge directed the jury on Monday to deliver not-guilty verdicts for all defendants. They were immediately discharged and granted legal costs.
The case originated from an incident in June 2021, when the victim was rushed to the hospital with extensive bruising and swelling across his body. He passed away two months later, on August 4, 2021, after his family withdrew life support.
Thirteen of the defendants were charged with murder over the victim’s death on August 4, 2021. Four of them also faced one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, for allegedly destroying or disposing of evidence related to the victim’s injuries in late June 2021.
The fourteenth defendant—the father of the sole female accused—was charged with assisting an offender for allegedly renting a flat in Fanling to shelter his daughter and help her evade law enforcement.
