Abby Choi’s partner testified in the High Court murder trial on 13 October that her former father-in-law twice rushed towards her during an argument at a Kadoorie Hill flat around June or July 2022. The witness said the first approach made contact with Choi’s upper body and that he stepped between them when the man moved towards her again.
He said the argument began after Choi’s daughter had a fever. The child’s grandmother warned the child’s father not to get too close in case he caught the illness. Choi objected that the grandmother treated her own son as a son but did not treat Choi’s daughter as a daughter.
As the argument escalated, Choi’s former father-in-law shouted insults at her, including calling her a “baby-making machine”, the witness said. Choi’s former brother-in-law tried to separate them.
Afterwards, Choi told him they should leave her former husband’s family soon, saying they were becoming increasingly frightening and ungrateful. He said his father provided about HK$200,000 to HK$300,000 a month for living costs, the children’s school and tutoring fees, and travel. Choi handled those matters, he said.
His father also gave Choi about HK$70 million to HK$80 million for investment, the witness said. He agreed that his family became very wealthy after its TamJai Yunnan Mixian business was sold in 2018 for HK$1 billion.
He believed Choi presented her former husband’s family as financially comfortable so that her four children—two with each man—would not feel that some were less valued than others.
The three defendants deny murdering Choi. Her former husband and former brother-in-law admitted preventing the lawful burial of her body; her former father-in-law denies that charge.
The witness said Choi bought the flat with money from his father. He had seen the former father-in-law listed as its registered owner, but said Choi later told him that she owned it.