Hong Kong court ends murder trial after defendant dies of lung cancer in custody

A Hong Kong court has formally ended proceedings against a 62-year-old man accused of involvement in a fatal 1991 robbery after he died in custody from lung cancer.

The High Court discharged a seven-member jury that had been hearing the case against Wen Wenye, who faced charges of murder and attempted robbery at Shun Fat Company, a second-hand goods shop in Sham Shui Po. The alleged offences date to June 9, 1991, when a shooting occurred during the botched hold-up.

Death During Trial Proceedings

Wen was found unconscious in the court's holding cell during an adjournment and later died in hospital that afternoon, according to a government statement issued the following day. The discovery came as the presiding judge was delivering instructions to jurors in preparation for their closed-door deliberation.

The court took the procedural step of discharging the jury, formally bringing the trial to a close more than three decades after the alleged crimes. Wen had succumbed to lung cancer.

The case had centred on events at the Sham Shui Po shop where the shooting took place during the attempted robbery.

Source: South China Morning Post