By Brian Wong

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A Hong Kong warehouse worker has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his 90-year-old father after burning charcoal at their home in a bid to take both their lives two years ago.
The High Court on Friday heard how Au Chi-ming, 53, tried to die together with his bedridden father in August 2023 after accumulating more than HK$250,000 (US$32,100) in credit card debt and failing to pay rent for three months.
The court was also told that Au had lived with his father, elder sister and niece at a flat in Sha Tin’s Chek Nai Ping village. He was the sole carer for his physically impaired father, whose health deteriorated sharply after a fall in 2022.
The defendant used to settle the flat’s monthly rent and utility bills, but he was no longer able to make ends meet after being declared bankrupt.
Au started contemplating suicide in July 2023 and decided to burn charcoal, having learned of the method from the news.
His father, Au Pong-keung, had also told the accused that he did not want to live long, but he had not been told about the suicide attempt in the early hours of August 4.
The defendant’s niece, unaware of the situation, left home that morning before her mother discovered a strong smell of smoke from the pair’s bedroom at around 12.30pm.
A prosecution case summary said Au appeared sluggish but was able to walk out of the bedroom without assistance, while his father was still breathing but unresponsive to calls.
Au later told police that he wanted his father to die with him, as he feared nobody would look after him after he died. He also confirmed that he had never shared his troubles with his family members.

Medical examinations found both the defendant and his father had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, but at levels far below the lethal range.
The elder Au was discharged to a care home on August 24, 2023. He died of Covid-19 in March the following year.
Mrs Justice Judianna Barnes on Friday questioned the family’s reluctance to seek help from outsiders and pointed out that the late father could have applied for a disability allowance.
Defence counsel Nisha Mohamed said the family had never thought about the need to ask for help, as everything seemed to have worked without anything major happening.
But she said financial difficulties and the pressure of being a carer ultimately drove her client into despair, even though he was usually a kind-hearted and filial son.
“I asked why he did not seek help if he had had so much stress, but somehow if you engage with the defendant, he always thinks in his mind that he has no way out,” Mohamed said.
“He couldn’t see a way out of his predicament, and he saw that his dad was suffering. He didn’t want his father to have no quality of life in those circumstances.”
Barnes highlighted the premeditation involved in the offence and said the present case warranted a prison sentence despite its tragic circumstances.
She adjourned sentencing until October 10, pending an assessment of the defendant’s psychological condition.
Attempted murder is punishable by up to life imprisonment.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline.
You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.