A Hong Kong man accused of murdering his three-year-old daughter constantly fought with the girl’s mother, who stayed in the relationship even after he allegedly isolated her from her family and threatened to harm them, a court has heard.
Advertisement
Defence counsel on Monday began the cross examination of Helen Leung, the mother of the girl and the defendant Lau Kai-ping’s former partner, and delved into the pair’s constant conflicts since they began dating in September 2016.
Leung accused Lau of abusing their daughter Leung Nga-sze many times after he was released from jail in May 2020 for attacking her with a corrosive liquid.
The girl, suspected of suffering from shaken baby syndrome, died on July 29 of that year after she was found unresponsive at her home.
The High Court jury heard Leung found out she was pregnant in January 2017 – four months after she started dating Lau – and gave birth to Nga-sze in July that year.
Advertisement
But in the first few months of their relationship, Leung already found herself fighting with the defendant all the time, with violence involved in some of the heated moments.
Leung said she often tried to leave Lau in the middle of the night during their fights. When she successfully managed to, he would contact her family members to ask for her whereabouts.