An unemployed lounge singer who pleaded guilty to assaulting and intimidating her flatmate in a jealousy-fuelled rage has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Chang Chak-chiu, a 28-year-old transgender female, pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding with intent, and criminal intimidation last month.
The charges stem from a fight with her flatmate, a 40-year-old woman surnamed Chan, whom Chang accused of trying to seduce her boyfriend, prompting the flatmate to respond “I don’t think you’re pretty, I think I’m prettier than you.”
The response prompted Chang to punch Chan in the face 10 times, and cut her hair. In another violent clash that took place months later, Chang went on to call Chan while she was in hospital, and threatened to cut off her two daughters’ hands.
At the District Court this morning, a lawyer representing the defendant said that Chang was not a vicious person, adding that both Chang and Chan struggled with alcoholism, which was what resulted in last year’s incident, Headline Daily reports.
They added that Chang had a rough life — which stemmed from her parents divorcing when she was quite young — suffered from a mental illness, was admitted to hospital in 2012 for attempting suicide, and has been asking her friend to buy female hormone drugs.
During the sentencing this morning at District Court, judge Frankie Yiu Fun-che noted that many members of Chang’s family — her dad, grandparents, aunts, and uncles — were in the courtroom to support her.
Yiu told the defendant: “I hope you’ll reflect on this, you can’t solve your problems with alcohol, you should talk to your family first about problems before you act.”
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