Hong Kong court terminates trial after suspect in deadly 1991 hold-up dies of cancer

A Hong Kong court has terminated a trial arising from a deadly shooting during a botched robbery three decades ago after the defendant died in custody earlier this week.

The High Court on Wednesday discharged a seven-member jury presiding over the trial of Wen Wenye, who allegedly took part in the murder and attempted robbery at Shun Fat Company, a second-hand goods shop in Sham Shui Po, on June 9, 1991.

A government statement on Monday said Wen, 62, died in hospital that afternoon after he was found unconscious in the court’s holding cell during the trial’s adjournment. The presiding judge was giving instructions to jurors at the time, ahead of their closed-door deliberation.

The jury had earlier found that Wen, a Shenzhen resident, could not be held criminally liable for the offences due to his cognitive impairment caused by lung cancer. The panel was nonetheless asked to decide if the defendant had committed the acts as charged in the indictment.