Australia, March 31 -- New South Wales Land and Environment Court issued text of the following judgementon March 4:

1. Junqi Huang was charged as an accessory after the fact to the murder of Chong Kai "Jacky" Wong ("the deceased") between 28 December 2020 and 31 December 2020 at Killongbutta farm ("the farm"), contrary to s 18(1)(a) and 349(1) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) ("the accessory after the fact to murder offence").

2. On 14 August 2024, Mr Huang entered a plea of guilty to the accessory after the fact to murder offence in the Local Court and, on 6 September 2024, this Court, constituted by her Honour, Wilson J, recorded a conviction with respect to that offence against Mr Huang. For that reason, Mr Huang shall be herein after referred to as the offender both in that respect and with respect to the further charge for which he pleaded guilty and was convicted on the same day.

3. Yilin Liu was charged with the murder of the deceased at the farm. On 28 August 2024, Mr Liu pleaded guilty in the Local Court to the offence of murder. On 6 September 2024 Mr Liu was convicted by Wilson J in respect to that offence. [1]

4. The offender was also charged that, contrary to section 192E(1)(b) of the Crimes Act, he did dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, that is, by promise of information regarding the deceased to the mother of the deceased, a Malaysian National, to obtain a financial advantage. The offender was charged that he dishonestly obtained a financial advantage in the sum of $50,000 ("the financial deception offence").

5. Collectively, the accessory after the fact to murder offence and the financial deception offence will be referred to as the "principal offences".

6. As mentioned above the offender pleaded guilty and was convicted of the financial deception offence on 6 September 2024.

7. The accessory after the fact to murder offence attracts a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment and has no standard non-parole period. The financial deception offence attracts a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and again has no standard non-parole period.

8. On 6 September 2024, the offender asked the Court to take into account two further offences on a Form 1 pursuant to s 33 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) ("Sentencing Act"). The further offences which were entered on two Form 1s were as follows:

1) knowingly deal with the proceeds of crime contrary to s 193B(1) of the Crimes Act ("the Form 1 proceeds of crime offence");

2) knowingly take part in the cultivation of not less than a commercial supply of a prohibited plant, namely, cannabis, contrary to section 23(2)(a) of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW) ("the Form 1 cultivation of cannabis offence"),

(collectively "the Form 1 offences").

9. The maximum penalty for the Form 1 proceeds of crime offence is 20 years imprisonment. These were the proceeds the subject of the financial deception offence. The maximum penalty for the Form 1 cultivation of cannabis offence is 15 years imprisonment.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/19544e71033942ebf63305bb)

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.