By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-14 10:06:29 | Updated at 2025-01-14 22:27:01
12 hours ago
Malaysian anaesthesiologist Khaw Kim Sun has been found guilty by a Hong Kong court of murdering his wife and daughter using an inflatable yoga ball filled with carbon monoxide, but in the eyes of his former colleagues, he remains a passionate researcher and a “guardian angel” who saved many lives.
Khaw portrayed himself as a perfectionist and strict father as the court was presented with different facets of his personality during a 41-day retrial for murder that began in November last year.
His murder convictions were quashed in 2023 after the Court of Final Appeal ruled the trial judge misdirected the jury and ordered a retrial that led to the guilty ruling on Tuesday.
Always dressed in a suit, the 60-year-old decided after nine days of the retrial that it would be in his better interest to defend himself and fired his lawyer.
In his testimony, Khaw admitted he started having an affair in 2006 with his research assistant, Shara Lee Wee-yee, who was a PhD student at Chinese University at the time. He said he was attracted to Lee and sought comfort in her after his relationship with his wife had turned sour.
Khaw married Wong Siew Fing in 1992, with whom he had three daughters and a son. His second daughter, Lily Khaw Li Ling, was 16 and his wife 47 when they were found dead inside from carbon monoxide poisoning inside Khaw’s Mini Cooper on May 22, 2015 . A deflated yoga ball containing the lethal gas was found in the boot of the vehicle.
