Triad 'hit-man' had two attempts to shoot rival

A TRIAD 'hit-man' yesterday told an Old Bailey court how two abortive attempts were made to shoot a rival before he successfully carried out the shooting in Chinatown, central London.

On one occasion, the gunman Wai Hen Cheung, known as George, was poised to shoot his victim when two teenaged girls got in the way. Cheung, 28, said he followed Ying Kit Lam, a Hong Kong businessman, from a restaurant in Bayswater, west London.

He got within yards of his target and was on the point of shooting Mr Lam, 31, when the teenagers appeared in front of him. Cheung had to stop and pretend to look in a shop window while they passed.

At an earlier hearing, Cheung admitted shooting Mr Lam. The prosecution claims that Mr Lam, also known as Ma Kau, was shot because he was attempting to take over the leadership of the Sui Fong Triad. The attack was to punish him and deter others.

Six men are accused of planning the attack with Cheung. Clifford Wai Ming Tang, 36, of Astley, Manchester; Jason Shui Cheung Wan, 31, of Holloway, north London; Tak Kam Chow, 41, of Southgate, north London; David Chong Chi Chan, 25, of Highfields, near Sheffield; Danny Wai Yuen Liu, 31, of Southampton, and Wai Wan Ho, 42, of Maida Vale, north west London, all deny conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Mr Tang and Mr Wan also deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Mr Tang also denies possessing a .22 automatic pistol with intent to commit an offence.

Cheung said he was a '49' rank, or a soldier in the Sui Fong Triad. He was ordered to cripple Mr Lam by shooting him twice in the back and 'four or five times in the backside or the groin, depending on how he fell'.

He was not told to 'shoot to kill', but if Mr Lam died 'it would be his own fault'. Cheung said he was given photographs of the victim to help to identify him. Once he almost bumped into Mr Lam as the businessman left a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.

Cheung told of how on one occasion he was telephoned and told to shoot Mr Lam in a Chinese disco. But the shooting didn't take place because Mr Lam had left the disco to gamble in a brothel in Maida Vale, west London.

The case continues.