Hong Kong woman who killed ‘noisy’ infant son jailed for eight years

Photo (for illustration): Myriam Tsen-Kung/Coconuts Media
Photo (for illustration): Myriam Tsen-Kung/Coconuts Media

A Hong Kong woman who killed her infant son by violently shaking, pinching and slapping him for crying too noisily has been jailed.

Leung Siu-fong, 31, was sentenced to eight years in prison at the High Court today. She was found guilty of one count of manslaughter earlier this month, in relation to the death of her three-month-old son, Matthew Lee.

Lee, who was Leung’s firstborn child, died from trauma to his head on August 25, 2015, SCMP reports. At the time, the 31-year-old told emergency services that her son had stopped breathing after sudden convulsions. She later admitted that she lost self-control after her child began crying and shook him, slapped him, and threw him onto a bed in their Cheung Chau apartment.

An autopsy found that there was considerable bleeding in the infant’s brain. A government pathologist noted that the child may have previously sustained head injuries in the weeks leading up to his death.

Shortly after her arrest, Leung reportedly told police that she “didn’t like” her son and complained that he had “very noisy” crying fits.

In High Court today, judge Esther Toh noted that whilst the defendant had a clear record, the facts of the case indicated that the child had been abused on multiple occasions.



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