HONG KONG (Agencies): The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung called her a “birthing machine” and tried to assault her before he allegedly plotted with his two sons to kill her three years ago, a court has heard.
Choi’s partner, Chris Tam Fong-chun, recounted on Tuesday a bitter argument between the influencer and her former in-laws in what he said was a watershed moment leading to a breakdown in the relationship in mid-2022, reports South China Morning Post.
Choi was previously married to Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 31, who is standing trial on a joint count of murder alongside his brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit, 35, and his father Kwong Kau, 68.
The High Court also heard on Wednesday that the late socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung lost contact with her husband at 2pm on the day she disappeared, with her phone's last location traced to Tai Po.
The testimony came on the 16th day of Choi's murder and dismemberment trial, according to The Standard of Hong Kong.
Tam told the court that he left for work around 10am on February 21, 2023, leaving Choi to continue sleeping.
The two later discussed dinner plans around 2pm on WhatsApp with a friend, Kenny, with Choi agreeing to a spicy crab dinner in Tsim Sha Tsui.
In WhatsApp voice messages played in court, Choi told Tam that when he was free, she had to tell him something about Damon -- her former brother-in-law Kwong Kong-kit.
However, Choi failed to respond when Tam later messaged her about a dinner reservation for 8.15pm.
Tam added that his message went undelivered since the last interaction, showing only a single checkmark. He assumed her phone had run out of battery or was turned off.
He then sent her several messages checking on her around 4pm. One message suddenly showed two checkmarks, which he took as a sign the phone had been turned back on.
He said messages between 4.13pm and 4.18pm showed two checkmarks, after which further messages reverted to a single checkmark.
As Choi's phone briefly regained signal, Tam opened their location-sharing app and saw her last known location was in Tai Po.
After repeated calls went unanswered, he said he began to worry and went to the location.
Based on Choi’s daily routine, Tam said she should have picked up the children and arrived back at the Kadoorie Hill apartment by then. Tam recounted returning to the Kadoorie Hill flat at 6.30pm, where he found Choi’s former mother-in-law, Jenny Li Sui-heung, her ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi, and former father-in-law Kwong Kau.
When he asked if anyone knew where Choi was, he recalled Li saying he had reported to the police too quickly, adding "the kidnapper might only want money."
Tam said he initially believed Li was only suggesting Choi might have been kidnapped, and was berating him for going to the police before the kidnappers reached out. He now sees her remarks as an attempt to deflect attention.
"She might have wanted to distance herself," he said, "to suggest she had nothing to do with what the Kwong family did."
Alex Kwong, Kwong Kong-kit and their father, Kwong Kau, are jointly charged with Choi’s murder. All three have pleaded not guilty. The brothers have pleaded guilty to a charge of preventing the lawful burial of a body, while Kwong Kau has denied that charge.
