Hong Kong constable to receive hero’s burial after 21 years paralysed

Former Hong Kong police constable Jacky Chu Chun-kwok will receive a hero’s burial after spending 21 years paralysed following an attack on duty. The South China Morning Post reported that Chu, who died earlier this month, would be buried at Gallant Garden, the city’s official cemetery for public servants, on October 23. He will receive a police service funeral and the highest honours.

The ceremony will include a Taoist rite and Chinese-style marching drills, according to a source cited by the newspaper. Chu was critically injured during a solo patrol on July 19, 2005. A man carrying a six-inch knife stabbed him in the neck after Chu stopped him for an identity check outside the Po On Road Municipal Services Building in Cheung Sha Wan.

The attacker, Liu Chi-yung, had been carrying the knife intending to rob pedestrians, according to the report. After being stabbed, Chu pursued him but collapsed from severe blood loss. The injuries caused oxygen deprivation to his brain and left him completely paralysed and in a vegetative state.

Chu received the Medal for Bravery, Gold, in 2006. The government’s commendation said he had shown extraordinary courage and continued trying to arrest the armed attacker despite his injuries until he collapsed.