Abby Choi trial: ex-father-in-law bought saws two days after model vanished
The High Court heard that Kwong Kau, former father-in-law of murdered Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi, bought hand saws and a power cutting tool with cash two days after her disappearance. Security footage tracked his movements to the village house where remains were later found.
The High Court heard on Tuesday that the former father-in-law of murdered Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung was captured on surveillance footage purchasing hand saws and a power cutting tool with cash in Sham Shui Po two days after her disappearance, before heading back to the village house where her remains were later uncovered.
The revelation came as the trial entered its twenty-ninth day before Deputy High Court Judge Brian Keith, with prosecutors detailing the post-crime movements of the three male defendants. Choi's former husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi, former father-in-law Kwong Kau, and former brother-in-law Anthony Kwong Kong-kit have all pleaded not guilty to murder, while admitting a joint charge of preventing the lawful burial of a body.
The charges allege that the trio murdered the 28-year-old model and influencer on 21 February 2023, inside the ground-floor flat of a village house at Lung Mei in Tai Po, and unlawfully prevented her burial over the subsequent three days.
Testifying on Tuesday, former exhibits officer and current police sergeant Ng Tai-shing took the court through extensive closed-circuit television recordings tracking Kwong Kau and his elder son Anthony in the days immediately following the alleged killing. Footage from the late afternoon of 22 February showed Kwong Kau driving to a restaurant car park in Lung Mei Tsuen, where he dined and made multiple phone calls to family members.
The prosecution presented further recordings from 23 February showing Kwong Kau visiting a hardware and electronics store on Apliu Street in Sham Shui Po just before 3pm, dressed in a khaki long-sleeved shirt and wearing a surgical mask. Store footage showed him spending about ten minutes inside, paying cash for a hand saw, a hacksaw, and a reciprocating saw. Kwong Kau then transported the tools, packed in a red plastic bag, back to the Lung Mei property, entering the flat shortly after 4pm.
Under cross-examination, counsel representing Kwong Kau questioned Sergeant Ng on his familiarity with the geographical area around Ting Kok Road and the Tai Po waterfront. Representing Alex Kwong, barrister Andrew Raffell challenged the officer over the chain of custody regarding DNA evidence. The court also recalled senior administrator Hui Siu-hung from Malvern College Hong Kong, who confirmed that Choi's daughter was found waiting without an escort at 3:15pm on the afternoon of Choi's disappearance.