Court hears warehouse worker Au Chi-ming, 53, was bedridden father’s sole carer, struggling to pay rent and HK$250,000 in credit card debt
A Hong Kong warehouse worker has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his 90-year-old father after burning charcoal at their home in a bid to take both their lives two years ago.
The High Court on Friday heard how Au Chi-ming, 53, tried to die together with his bedridden father in August 2023 after accumulating more than HK$250,000 (US$32,100) in credit card debt and failing to pay their rent for three months.
The court was also told that Au had lived with his father, elder sister and niece in a flat in Sha Tin’s Chek Nai Ping village. He was the sole carer for his physically disabled father, whose health deteriorated sharply after a fall in 2022.
The defendant used to settle the flat’s monthly rent and utility bills, but he was no longer able to make ends meet after being declared bankrupt.
