Torture, murder – and life sentences – in shocking 1999 case

“A gang of teenagers took turns torturing a boy to death before burning his body and dumping it in a rubbish bin,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 5, 1998. “Luk Chi-wai, 16, was punched, kicked, whipped with a leather belt, held upside down and swung around the room, and hit with poles and stools until he was dead, the [Court of First Instance] heard.

“The prosecution accepted a guilty plea to a lesser charge of manslaughter yesterday after one of the 14 attackers, Shek Tsz-kin, denied murder. Shek, a student, now 18, also admitted a charge of preventing the lawful burial of a corpse. The 13 other defendants, including three girls, face similar charges of murder and will stand trial next month. They are aged from 14 to 17.

“Prosecutor Alice Lee Sin-bing said the attack was triggered when the defendants found out Luk encouraged associate Chan Muk-king to tell police that the gang had beaten him up. Mr Chan was described as having a mental age well below his 30 years. Ms Lee told the court the defendants gathered at Mr Chan’s flat on May 14 last year to beat up Luk in revenge.

“Luk’s ordeal began at 9.10pm after he arrived at the flat. Shek allegedly started the torture by punching the victim on his back and chest after questioning him about Mr Chan’s report to the police. The others then punched and hit him with home-made kung fu implements, an umbrella and a leather belt, the court heard. They also stabbed his hands while wedging his head between the legs of a stool, the prosecution said. He was also ordered to eat cigarette butts and apologise to everyone in the flat, the court was told. The beating continued until almost 11pm when Luk fell unconscious. He died about an hour later, Ms Lee said.

“The next day, most of the defendants met up again and placed the body in a cardboard box and sealed it with adhesive tape, the court heard. They poured sulphuric acid over Luk’s body to conceal his identity and twice set him alight with paraffin, the court heard. After they failed to burn the body completely, they allegedly put it in a rubbish bag and wrapped it in canvas. The canvas was then thrown into a large bin, which was taken away for a rubbish truck, the court was told.”

On November 14, 2001, the Post reported that “an offender’s youth did not exempt him from a life behind bars, the court ruled yesterday in reaffirming life sentences on […] part of a gang found guilty in January 1999 of the murder of Luk Chi-wai.

“Luk was being punished for having told a mentally retarded man, who was a victim of bullying by some of the gang’s leaders, to go to police.”