Part-time security guard Yang Leying, 50, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday after stabbing her 24-year-old daughter to death with a meat fork.
The court reduced the original murder charge after prosecutors agreed that Yang was suffering from an abnormality of mind during the fatal assault.
Security Guard with Schizophrenia Uses Meat Fork in Fatal Attack
The incident occurred on 6 Dec 2021 at around 3:00AM at Tsz Ching Estate in Wong Tai Sin. Yang used a 31-centimetre meat fork to attack her daughter Chen Lianqin in their public rental flat.
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Neighbours were awakened by screams of “help” and “go away” echoing through the building. Another woman’s voice could be heard shouting “bitch”.
Ten minutes later, another resident heard cries for help and opened their gate to find Chen completely naked, begging for police assistance. The terrified neighbour quickly shut their door and called emergency services.
Paramedics arrived at 3:30AM to find Chen collapsed in the corridor, naked. Yang, wearing blood-stained trousers, sat on top of her daughter and gripped the knife handle still embedded in Chen’s abdomen.
“She must die today!” Yang told the paramedics who arrived at the scene.
Police subdued Yang within one minute while paramedics rushed Chen to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Doctors found puncture wounds to her right abdomen and left back.
Mental Health History and Delusions Drive Tragic Outcome
Chen was unconscious and in shock, and required emergency intubation and surgery. During the process, surgeons discovered a 30-centimetre deep wound in Chen’s abdomen, believed to be caused by the meat fork.
Despite emergency treatment, Chen died from her injuries.
Yang first received psychiatric treatment between 2007 and 2008 when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, requiring long-term medication. The city’s mental health service became aware of Yang around this time.
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She moved to Hong Kong from her native Hunan province after receiving the right of abode in the city at around the same time.
Yang had lived in the Wong Tai Sin flat since 2019 with Chen, whom she had given birth to during a previous relationship in mainland China.
Her ex-husband died in Oct 2021, and her younger son lived in Ho Man Tin.
During detention, Yang displayed erratic behaviour and incoherent speech. She claimed a male colleague was having an affair with her daughter and told police under caution: “He wants to kill my son, someone defrauded my money.”
Post-incident psychiatric evaluation confirmed Yang’s schizophrenia condition, noting symptoms including auditory hallucinations and delusions. Medical experts determined Yang’s mental illness influenced her actions during the attack.
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Yang was under the delusion that she needed to kill Chen to protect her son.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing Delayed
The judge postponed sentencing until late August to allow for additional psychiatric reports and mitigation submissions. The court will determine whether Yang should receive a hospital order instead of prison time.
Yang pleaded guilty on 17 Jun 2025, after the charge was amended from murder to manslaughter based on her mental health condition at the time of the attack.
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
