Suspect in 32-year-old murder, botched robbery case brought to court

Wallis Wang

A mainland man appeared in Kowloon Magistrates' Court yesterday for murder and attempted robbery in Sham Shui Po 32 years ago.

Wen Wenye, 59, was arrested upon arrival in Hong Kong through the Shenzhen Bay control point on Saturday on a two-way permit. He lives in Shenzhen.

Police were deployed when Wen was escorted to court at 2pm yesterday and appeared before magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han. He is accused with two other men of attempted robbery of second-hand watch and jewelry shop Shun Fat in June 1991 and murdering shop employee Cheng Kai-lam.

He appeared in court wearing a black coat and black glasses and looked calm.

Wen said in Cantonese he understood the charges and he was then remanded in jail custody until January 15 without a plea being taken.

Police said Wen was involved in the robbery bid on June 9, 1991 at the watch and jewelry shop on Pei Ho Street.

Superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said three robbers armed with a pistol and a hammer had entered the shop.

One suspect shot Cheng, 56, in the head while the two others tried to break glass display counters with the hammer but failed to grab any loot. One of the robbers had been cut by glass, Chung said, but all three fled in a stolen private car.

The trio abandoned the car after they were caught in a traffic jam, leaving a blood-stained shirt in the car.

Police investigating the case identified Wen as a suspect in 2021 and put him on the wanted list.

Wen was finally arrested when he arrived in Hong Kong in a seven-seater car at the Shenzhen Bay control point for the funeral of an uncle.

With Wen's arrest police found that fingerprints and DNA on the blood-stained shirt left in the getaway car in the aftermath of the robbery attempt matched the suspect.

"We believe the suspect we arrested on Saturday is one of the three robbers, but we are still investigating whether he was the one holding the gun or the hammer," Chung said. "We charged him for murder and attempted robbery as the three committed the crime together, and we're still hunting for the other suspects.

"In these serious and vicious cases no matter how far the suspects have fled or how deep they have hidden police will never give up and will bring them to justice."

Wen was arrested previously in the mainland, and Hong Kong police had maintained contact with the Public Security Bureau.

But mainland resident Wen could not be handed over to Hong Kong under the mutual legal assistance agreement.

Chung also said police contacted the family of the jewelry shop robbery attempt victim on Sunday and his widow was pleased to hear about the arrest.

He said police maintained communication with other witnesses and there would be sufficient evidence in the case.

Senior counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah said serious crimes have no limitation period in Hong Kong, but there might be difficulties in presenting evidence in court.

Witnesses might forget details of the case and evidence could be lost, Tong said, though officers nowadays can provide evidence using new technologies.

The building that housed the watch and jewelry shop has been demolished and the site developed into private residential housing estate Seaside Sonata.

And nearby shopkeepers and residents might not know about the robbery bid 32 years ago.

An employee of a nearby congee restaurant said he had never even heard about the case.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com