By Brian Wong

Copyright scmp

A 93-year-old Hong Kong plastic surgeon has been deemed unfit to stand trial for manslaughter linked to a botched botox injection in 2018 due to advanced dementia, a court has ruled.
A seven-strong High Court jury on Monday returned a unanimous verdict to exempt Dr Franklin Li Wang-pong from making a plea, after the defence team argued that he would not be able to understand proceedings, nor effectively give instructions to his lawyers.
The decision means Li, who initially pleaded not guilty, will not be held criminally liable for the offence, but the court will still hear evidence to decide if the defendant committed the acts he was charged with.
Prosecutors have accused Li of unlawfully killing banker Zoe Cheung Shuk-ling, 52, by gross negligence during the medical procedure at his clinic, located at Grand Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, on November 11, 2018.
The indictment said Li failed to take reasonable care of his patient by not properly assessing the risk of injecting her with a sedative on that day.
When Cheung experienced breathing difficulties, the doctor allegedly failed to monitor Cheung’s oxygen levels and to administer oxygen and -medications against sedative agents.
The defendant was also accused of concealing information about his medical treatment and prescriptions when asked by other medical professionals.

At the start of the trial last week, Li’s lawyers asked that their client be exempted from entering a plea, relying on four psychiatric reports compiled by two doctors, who said his cognitive ability had significantly deteriorated since he sustained a head injury from a fall in 2022.
The prosecution maintained a neutral stance regarding the application.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Anthony Kwok Kai-on and the jury.