A woman in her 90s died in hospital after being found unresponsive at her home in Tak Yiu House, Tak Long Estate, Kai Tak. Police arrested a 52-year-old domestic helper who cared for her on suspicion of murder.
Police said CCTV footage showed the helper allegedly striking the woman about 20 times with her bare hands between about 8.03am and 8.10am on October 11, targeting her neck, head and face. The footage also showed the helper using her foot against the woman’s abdomen while moving her.
Police said footage from roughly the previous two weeks suggested the woman had also been assaulted intermittently each day while in the helper’s care. Police said the family had not previously detected any assaults.
At about 8.20am on October 11, the helper sought help after the woman was found unresponsive. An ambulance took her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 9.12am. Relatives reviewed the home CCTV at about 11pm, found footage of the alleged assault and alerted police. The helper was arrested at about 3.50am on October 12 and was reported to remain in custody.
The woman had long-term health problems and needed round-the-clock care, police said. Her relatives hired the helper, who began work in January 2023. Some relatives visited about once a month, while the Social Welfare Department made regular visits. Relatives did not continuously monitor the home CCTV, HK01 reported.
Police said an initial forensic examination found bruises on the woman’s chest, abdomen and chin, and a graze on her neck, but no obvious fatal injury. A post-mortem and laboratory tests were to establish the cause of death.