A mental patient repeatedly chopped his wife in an attempt to decapitate her, a court heard yesterday.
Lee Ka-ting, 58, pleaded guilty in the Court of First Instance to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for killing Li Hau-mui, 51, in their flat at Choi Kwai House, Tseung Kwan O, on July 11 last year.
The court heard that Lee, unemployed, was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder and organic mental disorder at the time of the killing.
He was angry that his wife had blamed him for being unemployed and failing to earn a living.
Prosecutor Simon Tam Man-fai said that on the day of the killing Lee and his wife had not quarrelled by the time their daughters left home at about 3.30pm. However, an hour later, a neighbour heard Li crying for help. At about 5.30pm, Lee called police saying his wife had died and said he did not want police to allow his children into the flat.
Police later found Li lying in a pool of blood in the sitting room. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A bloodstained chopper was found in the kitchen.