Strangled mainland woman in critical condition after assault in Hong Kong taxi
Constables witness mainland visitor being assaulted by belt-wielding Hongkonger during taxi trip to Lok Ma Chau, police say
PUBLISHED : Friday, 23 October, 2015, 4:33pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 24 October, 2015, 2:43am
Clifford Lo
[email protected]
Officers were called to Choi Yuen Road outside Sheung Shui MTR station. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A mainland visitor was left fighting for her life in hospital after police allegedly caught a Hong Kong man strangling her with a nylon belt on board a taxi in Sheung Shui yesterday.
Constables flagged down by the cabbie found the man, 46, choking the woman, 45, in the rear passenger seat at about 1.30pm and arrested him.
Last night, the woman was in a critical condition at North District Hospital in Sheung Shui.
"The suspect suffered injuries to the tongue when he was arrested," acting Tai Po district commander (crime) superintendent Cheng Chun-kit said.
Cheng said it was possible the suspect bit his tongue in a suicide attempt. He was placed under observation at the same hospital last night.
Police were trying to establish the relationship between the pair, Cheng said. "The motive behind the attack remains unknown."
The pair flagged down the taxi in Yau Tong during lunchtime and asked the driver to go to a cross-border immigration control point.
Cheng said the driver originally planned to take them to Lok Ma Chau, but "in the middle of the journey, he heard the pair argue, and the woman screeched at one point".
The driver continued to concentrate on his driving, Cheng said, but changed his mind about Lok Ma Chau and went to Sheung Shui MTR station instead.
Police stepped in when he pulled over in Choi Yuen Road outside the railway station, jumped out of the vehicle and sought help from two patrolling officers.
"When the two officers went to check, the man was seen in the rear passenger seat using a black nylon belt to squeeze her in the neck," the superintendent said.
"The female victim was not responding. We believe she had lost consciousness. The officers stopped the male passenger immediately and arrested him."
The woman, who held a mainland Chinese passport, was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit.
"Her condition is life threatening," Cheng said.
He said police were investigating what the pair were arguing about during their trip.
Police said the cabbie, 57, was unhurt.
Last night, the suspect was being held for questioning and had not been charged.
It was understood he had no criminal record and had not been involved in domestic violence before.
Police were treating the case as "wounding". Detectives from the Tai Po district crime squad were investigating.
According to police figures, the city recorded 794 reports of wounding in the first eight months of this year.
This marked a decrease of 5.5 per cent compared with 840 cases recorded in the same period last year.
The force handled 1,342 reports of wounding in the whole of last year.
