The "suspicious circumstances" surrounding the death of model Annie Pang, whose severed skull was found in a rubbish bin, will finally be addressed by a public coroner's inquest, a High Court judge has ruled.


The "suspicious circumstances" surrounding the death of model Annie Pang, whose severed skull was found in a rubbish bin, will finally be addressed by a public coroner's inquest, a High Court judge has ruled.

Justice Michael Hartmann ordered the inquest Wednesday because of public interest and "genuine concern" over the death of Pang, whose decapitated body had lain undiscovered in a Yau Ma Tei apartment owned by former chief secretary Anson Chan's brother, John Fang, for four years.

In ordering the inquest, Hartmann reversed decisions by both the police and the coroner's office not to investigate the death.

Coroner Andrew Chan and the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau decided in September against opening an inquest. Chan cited the unnecessary exposure of "the deceased's private life such as her drug habit, gambling habit, medical conditions, financial background, suicide attempts, complicated love affairs and casual sex attitude."

Hartmann said the coroner's reasoning was flawed because "there are simply too many issues that require explanation."

A 2000 police report into the death said "previous medical history and drug habits would strongly indicate a drug-related death," and suggested a coroner's inquest was unnecessary.

Pang had been in an "intimate relationship" with Fang since 1985 and he had allowed her to live in the apartment from 1994. He had also transferred a total of HK$40,000 to an account accessible to Pang a few months before her estimated time of death in mid July, 1995.

In late September 1999, Fang entered the apartment in order to close windows which had caused water leakage into the flat below. "The owner stated that he never saw the skeleton of the deceased lying, uncovered, on the floor beside the bed," said Director of Public Prosecutions Grenville Cross SC who applied for the inquest.

Fang had found the place in a mess, and "instead of trying to find out what had happened to the deceased," who he would not have have seen alive for four years, he "ordered an employee to go to the flat next day to clear it out," Cross said.

"When this employee entered the premises he immediately saw the skeleton on the floor and made a report to police."

Pang's mother also claims her daughter had received death threats and had been assaulted by a legal clerk associated with Fang.

Cross said: "And as her flat had been used by a series of drug addicts, and she was in a state of indebtedness, there are other issues of concern for an inquest to examine."

Pang's two sisters were present in court and welcomed the ruling. They said they are happy they may finally find answers to the cause of death.

Pang's sisters reopened the case with a petition to the police and the Legislative Council in June, which led to another inquiry. At the time they said they feared for their safety as a result of reopening the case. In September, the coroner and the police concluded again that a public inquest was unnecessary.

Cross Wednesday made the first application in the history of the SAR for the Court of First Instance to order an inquest to be held after satisfying itself "that a coroner has failed to hold an inquest which ought to be held."

Cross said: "It is in the public interest that evidence is presented and tested [as to the cause of death] in light of suspicious circumstances."

Because of the skeletal state, "there is no way for the forensic pathologist to ascertain whether the deceased died from natural, suspicious or violent circumstances," he said.

Pang's skull was found in a bin in the apartment. The neck and shoulders of the decapitated body were found lying against the bin. The finger bones from the right hand were missing.

"Although it appears the deceased must have died around July 1995, at the height of summer, none of the neighbors noticed any strong foul smell or swarms of flies in the vicinity," Cross said.

Hartmann also ordered the inquest be conducted by a coroner other than Chan, because "justice should be seen to be done."

It is now up to the coroner to set a date for the inquest.

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