A foreign domestic helper was arrested on Monday in connection with the death of an elderly woman she had been caring for.

The suspect, 52, and the victim, 93, lived in a public housing unit at Tak Long Estate in Kai Tak.

The elderly woman, surnamed Kwan, had suffered from long-term health problems.

According to the police, the helper went to the block's security guard for assistance at around 8.20am on Sunday, saying the elderly woman was unresponsive.

The woman was declared dead within an hour of being taken to hospital.

Police said video footage seized on Monday showed the victim came under attack multiple times from 8am on Sunday.

The helper allegedly struck her around 20 times with her bare hands – targeting her neck, head and face – among other things.

Officers have classified the case as murder.

Terry Wan, deputy district commander for Sau Mau Ping, said the helper had been hired by the woman's relatives to care for her since 2023.

He said video recordings showed the victim had been attacked on and off every day for half a month.

"Our preliminary investigation found that it was related to caregiving – long-term friction or exhaustion had led to a poor relationship between them," Wan said.

He said the victim had bruises on her chest, abdomen and chin, as well as grazes on her neck, but there were no obvious fatal injuries found on her body.

A post-mortem and laboratory tests would be carried out to determine the cause of death.


Edited by Edmond Fong