An elderly Hong Kong man, known on the internet as “Mr Ho”, has received a suspended jail sentence for an insecticide attack on a passer-by who taunted him about his whirlwind romance with his younger mainland Chinese wife.
Tuen Mun Court on Tuesday suspended Ho Huen’s two-month jail sentence for two years after rejecting the defence’s suggestion to settle the case by imposing a fine.
The court also ordered the 77-year-old retiree to pay the complainant HK$2,000 (US$257) in compensation for the injuries he inflicted during the incident at Siu Hong railway station on May 25.
Ho pleaded guilty last month to assault occasioning actual bodily harm for spraying insecticide on a 41-year-old woman during the altercation, which also involved Ho’s now-estranged wife and the pedestrian’s 15-year-old son.
The woman raised the couple’s ire after calling them “rats scurrying across the street”, a Chinese idiom used to describe someone who is loathed by everyone.
The defendant retrieved a canister of bug spray from his wife’s bag and sprayed the complainant with the poisonous substance, causing rashes and redness to develop on her right forearm.
While under arrest, Ho claimed he had used the insecticide to kill a mosquito on the woman’s arm.
After further caution by officers, the retiree admitted committing the offence in a moment of impulse, saying he had bought the spray many years ago and knew it was harmful to humans.
Ho also said that he had carried the insecticide with him for the first time that day as a means of self-defence in case he was harassed by others on the street.
A Social Welfare Department officer made positive remarks about the defendant’s background after a presentencing assessment, noting that Ho admitted wrongdoing and was willing to bear the legal consequences.
A social worker who has been assisting Ho also said the defendant’s ability to avoid possible clashes with others and resolve conflicts had improved since the present offence.
But the officer advised against sentencing the retiree to probation after finding that he would benefit little from the arrangement.
In Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, a court prosecutor said the complainant had asked for HK$50,000 in damages from Ho for the physical injuries and psychological distress caused by the incident.
The 41-year-old woman said the rashes on her right forearm took three weeks to heal completely. She further claimed that she no longer dared to visit Siu Hong railway station because she had become a public figure.
But acting principal magistrate Daniel Tang Siu-hung only awarded HK$2,000 to the woman after finding that her request lacked the support of medical evidence.
Tang agreed to suspend Ho’s jail term in view of his clear record and the positive comments made on his behalf.
Ho left the court building by navigating through dozens of mostly middle-aged spectators. Some of them taunted the accused while filming him with mobile phones and selfie sticks.
The drama-filled life of Ho and his 44-year-old wife Ye Xiuding, or “Mrs Ho”, became the subject of online gossip after they tied the knot within a month of meeting each other, despite objections from the elderly man’s five children.
The couple flaunted a Rolex watch and a diamond ring worth more than HK$200,000 on a prime-time television programme last year.
But they were soon suspected of violating public housing regulations after failing to register Ho as a household member in Ye’s rental flat, as their assets reportedly exceeded the limit for a two-person household.
The Housing Department later launched an investigation and warned that the couple could face eviction if they continued to live there without adding Ho’s name to the tenancy.
Five days after the row at the railway station, the couple were arrested in connection with a domestic violence dispute at a public housing estate in Tuen Mun.
The couple are due to stand trial in the District Court on wounding charges. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
