Man, 27, arrested after woman, 53, found dead after Yuen Long housing unit set on fire
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 16 March, 2014, 7:09pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 16 March, 2014, 7:09pm
Ng Kang-chung [email protected]
The man has been taken to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A 27-year-old man was arrested in connection with a suspected case of murder and arson in a temporary housing area in Yuen Long in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A woman, 53, believed to be the man’s mother, had been found dead.
The initial police investigation showed that the mother had been attacked inside their housing unit in Block 14 of Long Bin Interim Housing Estate before the unit was set on fire.
Police and firemen were called in at around 1.15am on Sunday to respond to a fire at the first floor unit, where the mother and son had lived for several years.
While firemen were fighting the blaze, the man, who was seen squatting on top of a air-conditioner outside the unit, allegedly jumped down to the ground. He was said to have broken his legs and was sent to Pok Oi Hospital and later transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment.
Firemen put out the fire in about 20 minutes and found the charred body of the man’s mother lying beside the bed.
The chief crime inspector of Yuen Long police district, Mr Chan Ka-po, said: “The initial investigation determined that the son and the mother had an argument before the fire started. But the reason for their dispute or the content is not immediately known.”
Mr Chan said the body was too charred to conclude whether she had sustained other injuries. A post-mortem examination will be conducted later to ascertain the cause of death.
Police found some liquid, suspected to be inflammable, and a lighter inside the unit. Two meat knives were also found on the ground outside the block.
The man used to work as a bartender but recently lost his job, according to some neighbours. He was said not to have returned to the Yuen Long temporary housing unit for several days.
The man was not said to have had a history of mental illness.
He is being detained pending further questioning by district crime squad officers of the Yuen Long police district.
During the fire, some 50 residents of the estate were evacuated.
