Businessman jailed over murder-suicide bid with family
Crhk · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A 45-year-old businessman, Wong Pak-ting, was sentenced in the High Court to five years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of attempted murder over a plan to die with his former wife and three daughters in a Tuen Mun flat on June 25, 2024. The court heard he drugged dinner and milk tea with sleeping pills, sealed parts of the flat and burned charcoal, but later changed his mind, extinguished the fire and left, with all four family members surviving.
Key Points
- Wong Pak-ting, 45, admitted four counts of attempted murder involving his former wife, surnamed Leung, and their three daughters aged 16, 15 and 13
- The case happened at a unit in King On House, Shan King Estate, Tuen Mun, where Wong prepared what prosecutors described as a “last supper”.
- He crushed 10 sleeping pills into soup and five cups of bubble tea, then taped door gaps and burned charcoal in cookware
- Wong later told police his food distribution business was in difficulty, he owed about HK$800,000 to HK$900,000, and feared debt collectors would harass his family.
- Judge Yo Tak-hong set a starting point of eight years, citing planning and breach of trust, then reduced it to 64 months for the guilty plea.
Why It Matters
The sentencing shows the court weighed Wong’s depression, financial distress and his decision to stop the act, but still treated the planned attack on close family members as a grave breach requiring deterrence. The case also underlines how debt pressure and untreated mental-health strain can escalate into serious domestic violence if help is not sought in time.