A Hong Kong court sentenced three local men to between 10 and 12 years in jail yesterday for kidnapping the son of Taiwan actress and director Sylvia Chang
Leung Man-kwong
The court did not give the surname of the boy, whose mother lives in the territory and is well known in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The attention given to the case gripped Hong Kong last year and aroused concerns among celebrities about their personal safety and that of their families.
Chang, 45, has starred in more than 70 films including Eat Drink Man Woman
Tsang, identified as the mastermind of the crime, will spend 12 years behind bars while his accomplices will be jailed for 10 years.
The men made 15 calls to Oscar's family and at first demanded a ransom of HK$15 million (US$1.9 million). The sum was later negotiated down to HK$8 million.
During the ransom negotiations, the kidnappers ferried Oscar from one hotel to another by hiding him in a suitcase.
The saga ended when police intercepted two of the kidnappers outside a hotel while they were in possession of the suitcase. Oscar was found inside, blindfolded but unhurt.
No ransom was ever paid.
Heavily in debt and out of work, Tsang came up with the idea of kidnapping the son of the movie star and her businessman husband 18 months after he had done construction work for the couple, the court heard.
High Court Judge Louis Tong
Calling the case "premeditated, well-planned and carefully executed," the judge rejected defense arguments that the trio should be given lenient sentences because the boy was never physically abused.
The judge also commended Chang for being brave and reporting the case to police.
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