'HKU Professor Depressed, Wife Nicknamed For Temper'

The High Court heard on Friday that a University of Hong Kong professor, who is on trial for the murder of his wife in 2018, was short-tempered because he had depression, while his wife was nicknamed because of her temper.

A worker at HKU's Wei Lun Hall – where the defendant, Cheung Kie-chung, lived as the warden with his family – said Cheung's wife was nicknamed "Thinner" after her name Tina.

Choi Wing-fai said "she would explode" if things didn't go her way. But he also said he didn't think she was "really overbearing".

A defendant's friend of five decades told the jury that she "lacked a sense of humour and social skills".

Chan Leung-choi said she once told him "do not expect me to serve you" when they were at a barbecue party at Wei Lun Hall.

Cheung's former colleague at the university's engineering faculty told the court that Cheung got more irritable after he suffered bloodstream infection in 2018, just months before the killing.

Derek Ho said that since he was discharged from hospital in April that year, Cheung at times threw a tantrum over mistakes made by his colleagues.

He added that Cheung had lost weight after becoming the faculty's deputy chairman the same year and had more work to do.

But Ho also pointed out that the defendant was popular among his students and respected by fellow faculty members and staff.

Another witness, government psychiatrist Bonnie Siu, said prolonged work stress and strained marital relationship could have contributed to Cheung's depression.

She said she had interviewed him seven times this year and found him to be agitated and less capable in decision-making.

The trial continues on Monday.