A Hong Kong merchant has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his wife and three daughters by burning charcoal in their public rental flat two years ago, saying he was “out of options” after struggling to repay debts totalling nearly HK$900,000 (US$115,000).

The High Court heard on Tuesday that Wong Pak-ting, 45, spiked the dinner he prepared for his family with sleeping pills before attempting to kill himself with them at their home in Tuen Mun’s Shan King Estate on June 25, 2024.

Wong told police he had been seeking psychiatric treatment since March that year for moderate depression, as he struggled to keep his food distribution business afloat even after borrowing money from friends and financial institutions.

He wanted to end it all out of fear that he and his family would be harassed by debt collectors, but admitted that no such incidents had taken place by the time he committed the offence.

The defendant said he had made beef noodles for his family that evening and put around 10 sleeping pills, crushed into powder, in the soup.

He also doctored five bubble tea drinks he bought for his family by adding two pills’ worth of the powder to each cup, including his own.

After his family fell asleep at around 8pm or 9pm, Wong sealed the doors and placed several pots of burning charcoal around the 310 sq ft flat before going to bed.