A 26-year-old man and his 27-year-old wife have been charged with murder over the death of the man’s 5-year-old daughter, with a court this morning hearing horrific details of the alleged abuse of the girl and her brother.
Transport worker Chan Hoi-ping and his spouse Wong Hei-tung, a housewife, were arrested on Saturday after Chan’s daughter Chan Siu-lam was taken unconscious to hospital from their home in Tuen Mun and later declared dead.
The couple appeared this morning at Tuen Mun Magistrates court on one count of murder. They did not enter a plea and were remanded in custody, the Standard reported.
Police on the weekend revealed the girl’s body was covered in bruises and scratches. Her 8-year-old brother — Chan’s child from a previous partner — had similar wounds.
According to the SCMP, a prosecutor this morning read from a statement provided by the brother and his stepsister— the daughter of Chan and Wong.
The two children said the couple “punished” the youngest sister on Friday by throwing her up in the air several times, causing her head to hit the ceiling. The girl was also “swung by both arms,” the outlet reported.
The deceased girl and her brother were assaulted “almost daily” by the couple, the prosecutor told the court, according to the SCMP.
“Their arms and legs were beaten with canes. Their faces were smacked with slippers. Their chests were poked with scissors,” the prosecutor said.
Police are still awaiting a report on the cause of death and further medical reports about her and her brother’s injuries. It was also alleged the two children were not given enough food and made to sleep on the floor.
The case was adjourned until March 6.
The 53-year-old mother of Wong, who also lived at the house and who reportedly found the girl unconscious, was also detained over the weekend but has since been released on bail pending further enquiries, the Standard reported.
