Abby Choi murder trial: Former father-in-law allegedly bought meat mincer weeks before her death

Late Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi’s former father-in-law Kwong Kau bought a meat mincer weeks before she was murdered, the Hong Kong High Court heard on Oct 20 on the 19th day of trial over Choi’s death.Choi, 28, was found dead and dismembered at a village house in Hong Kong on Feb 24, 2023, in a case that stunned the territory.Choi’s former husband Alex Kwong, 31, her former father-in-law Kwong Kau, 68, and her former brother-in-law Anthony Kwong, 35, are currently charged with murdering Choi on Feb 21, 2023. They are also charged with preventing the lawful burial of Choi’s body between Feb 21 and 23 that year.The prosecution called a female shop assistant from a kitchenware shop to testify anonymously in court on Oct 20, who was granted permission to do so, according to the Hong Kong media.The shop assistant said that at about noon on Feb 8, 2023, a white-haired man about 1.7m tall - confirmed by CCTV footage to be Kwong Kau - entered the shop.The sales assistant showed him several models of meat mincers, and he eventually bought a more expensive, higher-quality mincer that could supposedly mince meat more finely.Kwong Kau also purchased a 14-by-14-inch soup pot, a 15-inch chopping board and an 11-inch ladle, according to photos shown by the prosecuting counsel. The total came up to HK$9,153 (S$1,490), reduced to HK$8,700 after a discount.When asked why the kitchenware sold at the shop was relatively large, the assistant said that the shop’s typical customer base consisted of restaurants and catering establishments.Subsequently, a younger man arrived at the shop.Kwong Kau then asked the shop assistant if the shop sells a bone-crushing machine. Upon learning that the bone-crushing machine cost approximately HK$35,000, the two men deemed it too expensive and decided against purchasing it.The court also heard the testimony of Choi’s former chauffeur Chin Kei Shun on Oct 20, who suspected that Choi was facing financial difficulties.Chin said that he was hired in May 2021, earning HK$20,000 a month, working six days a week from 7am to 4pm.The salary was paid in cash by Choi’s former mother-in-law Jenny Li.Chin recalled that in November 2022, Anthony Kwong told him that the family had to travel for two months, and asked him to take a leave of absence without pay during that period.Chin counter-proposed to get half his salary each month during those two months in exchange for maintaining the car, but it was rejected by Kwong. Chin subsequently resigned and officially left his post on Nov 15 that year.Chin pointed out that Choi used to carry large sums of cash in her handbag, but this changed between February and mid-2022. It appeared that she was experiencing cash flow problems and on several occasions, she asked him to pay for her shopping in advance before she repaid him afterwards.On one occasion in February 2022, when Chin was driving Choi back to her house, there were two or three men loitering outside the property. Choi hid inside the car as he drove into the compound.Chin said that the incident was linked to gambling debts incurred by Choi and her partner Chris Tam while they were in Macau. He also overheard Choi on a call with Anthony Kwong asking for HK$600,000.A few days later, Chin drove Kwong to a mall collect an envelope, allegedly containing HK$600,000. The following day, Chin drove Choi to another mall, where Choi was carrying the same envelope. Chin said that Choi alighted at that mall to meet Kwong Kau, and when she returned to the car, she was no longer holding the envelope.When asked by the prosecution whether anyone had ever accused him of theft, using foul language or gambling, Chin denied such claims, saying that he would like to know what exactly he was accused of stealing.He added that gambling was a private matter, and he certainly would not have mentioned it to the Kwong family.Chin also said that no one had ever criticised his conduct as a chauffeur during his employment. He acknowledged having prior convictions for drug possession in 1998 and 2024; for the 2024 case, he was sentenced to a one-year probation order, which he has since completed.