Couple Jailed Over Baby Girl's Death

The High Court on Wednesday jailed a couple for five years and four months over the death of a baby girl they were asked to look after by the child's mother.

Or Ching-man, 36, and her boyfriend Shiu Kwok-wai, 33, earlier pleaded guilty to ill-treatment or negligence of a child.

Judge Albert Wong noted that the pair had repeatedly hit the 22-month-old, who died of head injuries.

Wong said the child was malnourished, slept on a thin mattress on the floor, and was sometimes left home alone with a metal dog leash tied around her waist.

The judge said the girl's fate had been completely in the hands of the couple – who have four daughters of their own – but they had not ensured she was safe and healthy.

Wong also called on the authorities to consider taking steps to prevent similar incidents from happening again, noting that while the girl had remained in the couple's care, her elder brother had been placed in a foster family.