Forensic scientist links electric saw to cut marks on Abby Choi's remains
A government forensic scientist testified that cut marks on murdered model Abby Choi's pelvic bones matched an electric saw recovered from the crime scene. The trial of her former husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law on murder and burial charges continued in the High Court.
A government forensic scientist told the High Court on Friday that cut marks found on the pelvic remains of murdered model Abby Choi Tin-fung were consistent with those made by an electric saw. The testimony came on the 23rd day of the high-profile trial.
Dr. Tam Cheok-ning, a senior chemist in the Physical Science Section of the Forensic Science Division at the Government Laboratory, said tool marks on the victim's pelvic bones matched test cuts produced by an electric saw of the same brand recovered from the crime scene. He explained that manual saws produce straight, densely spaced, and parallel striations, whereas an electric circular saw leaves slightly curved marks that are less dense due to mechanical vibrations during operation.
Regarding the victim's completely severed spinal column, Dr. Tam testified that two distinct sections showed clear signs of being cut with an instrument. He said the cuts were likely inflicted by a saw rather than a manual hand saw, as vibrations from handling a powered circular saw leave curved marks on bone surfaces. He added that soft tissues and cartilage shift during cutting, preventing clear tool impressions on those areas.
On the separation between the victim's left and right pelvic bones, Dr. Tam told the court that gaps at the joint connections indicated the pelvis could have been separated by sawing or by blunt force trauma from a hard object, such as a hammer. He noted that without distinctive tool markings at those specific joints, the precise implement could not be definitively determined, though a large kitchen cleaver or an electric saw could also have been capable of separating the bones.
During cross-examination, defense counsel Oliver Davies, representing former father-in-law Kwong Kau, questioned Dr. Tam about visibility through stacked transparent plastic storage boxes matching those linked to the case. Dr. Tam agreed that visibility would be slightly blurred. When Davies suggested that someone attempting to conceal a body would unlikely choose transparent boxes, Dr. Tam replied that he had no experience storing human bodies and had not considered the matter from that perspective. Under re-examination, Dr. Tam confirmed that stacking two such plastic containers together, as shown in closed-circuit television footage from the scene, would reduce overall transparency compared to a single box.
The trial centers on the alleged killing and dismemberment of the 28-year-old socialite in February 2023. Her former husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi, former brother-in-law Anthony Kwong Kong-kit, and former father-in-law Kwong Kau are jointly charged with one count of murder and one count of preventing the lawful burial of a body. The charges allege that the three men murdered Choi on 21 February 2023 inside the ground-floor unit of a village house in Tai Po, and subsequently prevented the lawful burial of her body between 21 and 23 February. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to murder. Anthony Kwong and Alex Kwong have admitted the charge of preventing lawful burial, while Kwong Kau denies that count.