A Hong Kong man jailed eight years ago for killing a woman whose body was never found saw his life sentence reduced to nine-and-a-half years for manslaughter on Tuesday.

Because of time already jailed, Ivan Chan is expected to be released after about one more month behind bars.

After a second retrial, a High Court jury on Monday acquitted Chan of murdering his mistress Chun Ka-yee in 2011, finding him guilty of manslaughter instead.

The defendant had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, but this was rejected by the prosecution.

The former securities firm director was originally convicted of murder in 2015, and then again in 2017 after his first retrial.

Passing sentence after the latest trial, High Court judge Albert Wong said he accepted that the killing of Chun wasn't premeditated, but it was brutal.

The judge also noted that it was only in the third trial that Chan admitted suffocating Chun, because she had provoked him.

Chan had testified that his victim lost her temper and threatened him when he tried to break up with her.
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Last updated: 2023-02-28 HKT 18:43