The High Court sentenced Hung Man-yee to 12 years in jail yesterday for masterminding the brutal attack on her seven-year-old stepson Shum Ho-yin.

But Deputy High Court Judge Peter Line has to wait for Hung's post-natal depression report before passing the sentence.

Five others, Hung's ex-boyfriend Tsang Ho-wai, two Form 4 students, a taxi driver and another man, were sentenced between two and 18 years in jail a couple of weeks ago.

Judge Line said the 22-year-old defendant, Hung, was behind Tsang Ho-wai's plan to chop off Shum's right hand.

Hung paid HK$5,500 to Tsang in July 2005 to attack on Shum. The next month, she paid him another HK$36,000 to maim the child.

Judge Line said the crime was brutal and serious. Neither psychiatry nor psychology reports had shown that Hung was suffering from depression. Though she had difficulty adjusting to stress after giving birth to a son, it did not make her crime less heinous.

Hung committed the crime out of jealousy and hatred because she felt her husband neglected her and their son because he was paying more attention to Shum.

Had Hung not paid Tsang, the brutal attack would not have taken place, he said. Hence, there has to be a severe sentence for Hung.

But the judge said that considering Hung had pleaded guilty to her crime, her sentence was reduced from 18 to 12 years.

Hung's father, who was in court, said the sentence was "unfair" to her daughter because "she was suffering from mental illness".

He admitted though that her daughter had committed a crime, and should not have vented her anger on Shum.

He said the boy's father was the real culprit. He had made a lot of promises to Hung and ruined her life by not keeping many of them. Also, the boy's father was not a good man because he often cheated innocent young girls, he said.

But Shum's grandmother was happy with the sentence. Shum is still undergoing physiotherapy and has nightmares, she said, and appealed to people to give him some space.