Man who beat girlfriend under faux weight-loss regime jailed for nearly 4 years

High Court notes psychologist’s testimony of Ng Ka-sing’s poor intelligence and meek personality after earlier manslaughter conviction

A Hong Kong man has been sentenced to three years and nine months in jail for unwittingly suffocating his girlfriend to death while trying to dispose of her body after she passed out during a supposed weight-loss programme that required her to avoid sleeping.

The High Court on Monday accepted that former abattoir worker Ng Ka-sing was genuinely remorseful and had little likelihood of reoffending, noting that the 29-year-old required psychological treatment to help him recover from the trauma of being forced to physically abuse his partner, 30-year-old Yip Tsz-ching, four years ago.

The ruling means that Ng, who had been incarcerated for four years and three months, has completed his sentence.

After being asked to decide whether Ng was guilty of the lesser offence if they cleared him of murder, the jury unanimously convicted Ng of manslaughter by an unlawful and dangerous act.

Before the trial began in June this year, Ng had also pleaded guilty to a count of preventing the lawful burial of Yip’s body.