UPDATE: Police arrest plastic surgeon after woman dies following botox injection at Tsim Sha Tsui beauty clinic

Police walking into the commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui where Franklin Li’s plastic surgery clinic is located. Screengrab via Apple Daily video.
Police walking into the commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui where Franklin Li’s plastic surgery clinic is located. Screengrab via Apple Daily video.

UPDATE: Police have arrested a plastic surgeon after a woman died this morning following botox treatment, with the suspect previously involved in a fatal botched liposuction case, according to reports.

Dr Franklin Li Wang-pong, 86, was taken into custody today after the death of a 52-year-old woman, surnamed Cheung, who on Sunday received botox injections at his beauty clinic on Humphreys Avenue.

At a press conference today, Chief Inspector Lam Yuen-ling of the Yau Tsim District said officers arrested the male suspect for allegedly breaching the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and misleading police officers.

According to Apple Daily, police officers and Department of Health personnel investigating the case found inconsistencies with the drugs stored at the clinic and records.

The newspaper also reported that, initially, the suspect claimed Cheung had arrived at the center without an appointment suffering difficulties from asthma, and had collapsed after being medicated for the respiratory condition.

Later, however, his story changed.  During police questioning it emerged Cheung had received botox injections prior to losing consciousness.

Following unsuccessful attempts to administer first aid, Li decided to call the police about 5pm, wrote Ming Pao.

Cheung — reportedly a regular patient at the beauty clinic who had undergone botox treatment in the past — was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s intensive care unit yesterday in critical condition.

She was certified dead at 9:42am this morning. The SCMP quoted an unnamed police source as saying Cheung had received more than 10 shots of botox at the clinic, including injections to her jaw, chin and above her brow.

Ming Pao reports that Li has been practising medicine for more than 60 years, graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1956, and is a well-known plastic surgeon.

The outlet also reports that in 2009, Li had his medical license suspended for five months following an incident in 2003, when a 71-year-old female piano teacher — who was undergoing liposuction to the abdomen — went comatose and died in his clinic after she was given an anaesthetic for the surgery.

The medical council reportedly criticised Li for not having the appropriate first aid equipment in his facility, and said that his behaviour was far below the professional level.

The case over the weekend marks the third instance of suspected botox poisoning in recent weeks, according to the SCMP.

On November 1, a 41-year-old woman experienced complications including weakness, a sore throat and difficulty swallowing after receiving Botox injections from a mainland Chinese beautician.

The next day, a 24-year-old woman was admitted to hospital after having an adverse reaction to Botox injections administered at a salon in Tsim Sha Tsui.



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