A Hong Kong court has heard how an unemployed man poured corrosive liquid on his son and wife after a row erupted when she asked him for a divorce, SCMP reports.
56 year old Lau Chung-tim pled guilty to throwing the liquid on his wife Chan Sau-to and son Lau Kin-hung after the latter tried to protect his mother. The defendant also admitted to intent to cause grievous injury to others in Sai Pin Wai, Yuen Long on June 18, 2013.
Chan suffered burns to 38 percent of her body while 21 year old Lau's burns covered 24 percent of his body.
Deputy judge Clare Marie Beeson adjourned sentencing until July 10, asking for a medical report to be factored into the decision with regular updates of the victims' injuries.
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Both mother and son had to undergo months of hospital treatment, including skin grafts. Chan and Lau still bear scars from the incident, with Lau sustaining eye injuries that still affect him.
Prosecutors told the Court of First Instance that father Lau went to the family home to retrieve his mobile phone after Chan had told him she wanted a divorce. After she asked for his door key, Lau threatened her with a ceramic knife but was blocked by their son. Lau then took out the bottle of corrosive liquid and poured it on his wife's chest before turning to his son and attacking him with the liquid.
After the victims tried to wash off the corrosive liquid in the bathroom, Lau chased them out of the house with a knife before he himself fled the scene.
A bystander alerted police after seeing the injured victims, who the attacker later that day.
Lau told officers that he was convinced his wife was trying to extort him after asking for a divorce. He says he became particularly upset when she asked him for his door key.
[Image via Flickr]
