Staff from Malvern College Hong Kong testified that Abby Choi’s daughter had not been collected at the 3pm dismissal on 21 February 2023. The evidence was heard on the 23rd day of the trial, in which Choi’s former husband, his father and his elder brother are charged with murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.
A senior school administrator said she first called Choi about 15 minutes after dismissal. The phone rang three times without an answer before disconnecting. On a second attempt it rang once and seemed to have been cut off; a third call, five minutes later, could not get through.
The administrator said the child was left with a colleague at reception. Staff also tried to contact the child’s father and grandmother; the grandmother’s phone was initially busy or unavailable. She later called back and said traffic congestion in Kwun Tong would make her about 30 minutes late to collect the child.
The school said Choi had been late to collect a child before, but had notified staff in advance when she expected a delay.