21-year bedside vigil: how stabbings, sacrifice and devotion redefined Chu Chun-kwok's family

Constable Chu Chun-kwok died on Wednesday at the age of 52, 21 years after he was slashed in the neck while on duty and left paralysed. His wife and daughter stayed by his side throughout.

On the morning of July 19, 2005, Chu, then 30, was on solo patrol in Cheung Sha Wan when he approached a suspicious 23-year-old unemployed man, Liu Chi-yung, who was carrying a 6-inch fruit knife. As Chu checked his ID, Liu suddenly drew the knife and slashed Chu's left neck, severing his carotid artery.

Despite bleeding heavily, Chu chased Liu for about 50 metres before collapsing. Passers-by tried to stop the bleeding and called police. Liu discarded the knife and fled, later surrendering at Prince Edward MTR station that afternoon.

Chu was rushed to hospital but suffered extensive brain damage from oxygen deprivation. He spent the next 21 years as a quadriplegic, unable to speak or care for himself.

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In 2006, renowned neurosurgeon Ling Feng, who had treated Phoenix TV anchor Tanya Liu, was invited to Hong Kong to assess Chu. She and local doctors devised a combined Chinese-Western treatment plan including acupuncture, massage, herbal medicine and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Chu was later transferred to a Guangzhou military hospital for intensive treatment before returning to Hong Kong in 2008.

Despite the efforts of medical teams and his family, his condition gradually deteriorated. His wife, Choi Yin-ping, recalled that Chu was a passionate police officer who found it hard to switch off even when off duty. She remembered how he once let go of her hand while shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui and ran off to chase a pickpocket.

Their daughter, Michelle, was only eight when her father was attacked. She often did her homework at his hospital bedside, believing he could still hear her. She recalled that when she shared stories or cried, he would sometimes shed tears. On one Father's Day, she placed a card saying "I Love Dad" on his chest and kissed his cheek. Unable to move, he gazed at her intently.

Michelle later studied art and design in Melbourne and stayed in Australia to work. She said she never complained and was proud of her father, saying he had been injured while fulfilling his duties as a police officer. She returned to Hong Kong to be with him in his final days.

Chu died peacefully on September 16, 2026, surrounded by his family.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓