The young children of the criminal lawyer shot dead execution-style in Sydney’s west do not understand what has happened – and keep asking to ‘see daddy’.
Huong Thu Ngo, the wife of slain Bankstown man Ho Ledinh, arrived at the couple’s Bankstown red-brick rental on Thursday morning accompanied by detectives.
Family friend Vivian Vo said Ms Ngo was so distraught at times she struggled to sleep and couldn’t swallow water.
Ms Vo said the kids keep asking to ring their father: ‘They can’t call daddy. They really miss daddy.
‘We’re trying to put the tears behind … The youngest baby is really hard she still keeps looking for daddy. (It’s) so painful.
Huong Thu Ngo (also known as Ngo Thu Huong), the distraught partner of the criminal lawyer shot dead execution-style at a Bankstown cafe, has arrived home from Vietnam
Ms Ngo came home accompanied by a large number of police on Thursday morning
She said Ms Ngo was taken to the police station upon her arrival last night and was given the heartbreaking news of her husband’s death.
The family decided to return to their home, rather than a safe house, for the sake of the children.
‘The tears roll down in the quiet time’: Family friend Vivian Vo told Daily Mail Australia the experience was ‘so painful’ for the young children
Ms Ngo had gone to Vietnam to see her family, who live several hours’ drive outside Saigon.
But she only spent an hour with them when she was told she needed to come back to Sydney because her husband was very ill.
‘She only had one hour to see her parents,’ Ms Vo said.
The children thought they were coming back to see their father.
The reality was a mystery gunman had killed Mr Ledinh in a brazen attack with up to four bullets.
Ms Vo said: ‘The tears roll down in the quiet time.’
The family’s tragic homecoming comes as Daily Mail Australia can reveal new details of Mr Ledinh’s money troubles and his ‘shame’ at being a good lawyer but a poor businessman.
Slain lawyer Ho Ledinh is pictured with his partner and mother of his three young children
Mr Ledinh was shot dead by a mystery gunman at Banktown’s Happy Cup Cafe (police are pictured at the scene)
Close friend Van Nguyen said: ‘He poor. He got no money … Some lawyers are millionaire, but he works so hard.
‘Some lawyers are millionaire, (earn) a lot of money, but he works so hard.
‘He said, ”I do this job, I get money later”. Who do that!? Never!’
Mr Ledinh was sometimes late in paying the rent for his office suite, just metres away from where he was killed this week.
He was so ashamed of failing to meet his obligations he would give Mr Nguyen his money and ask him to go pay the landlord for him.
Mr Nguyen recalled: ‘His rental of his office, for a couple of months, one month, two month, he be late.
Ms Ngo, who flew into Sydney Airport yesterday afternoon, is pictured arriving at the couple’s red-brick rental home
Ms Ngo was flanked by detectives after her partner was shot dead execution-style at a Bankstown cafe
A man is seen paying his respects at the scene at the Happy Cup cafe at Bankstown City Plaza
Luggage belonging to the distraught wife of Ho Ledinh are pictured outside their home on Thursday
‘One day he do some job, he got money, he asked me to go … pay rent for him.
‘I ask him, ”why don’t you go?” He said, ”I’m embarrassed”.’
Mr Ledinh was often too embarrassed to ask his clients for money and would do his job pro bono.
Friend Vivian Vo recalled he did work for her in 2004 but insisted he did it for free, planting the seeds for a close friendship.
Meantime, official records have shed further light on his financial situation.
Documents from the corporate regulator ASIC confirm Mr Ledinh’s business was deregistered in last March, reportedly due to his money problems.
Ho Ledinh (pictured with his partner and children) was fatally shot at the Happy Cup Cafe (pictured behind) on Tuesday
Mr Ledinh drove a flashy but dated 2002 Jaguar S Type 3.0 sedan, which was still parked on the street on Thursday
Close friend Van Nguyen (pictured) said of Mr Ledinh’s money problems: ‘He poor. He got no money … Some lawyers are millionaire, but he works so hard’
Mr Ledinh was fatally shot in the pelvic region four times at the Happy Cup Cafe (pictured)
Court records show he owed $1,320.00 to a Bankstown child care centre last year.
He lived in a cosy red-brick rental home in Bankstown and drove a flashy but dated 2002 Jaguar S Type 3.0 sedan, which was still parked on the street on Thursday.
Mr Ho was having a coffee with two friends at the Happy Cup café in Bankstown, about 3.45pm on Tuesday, when an unknown gunman fired up to four shots at him.
The New South Wales Police Force’s homicide squad commander, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook, said investigators did not believe the shooting was random.
‘We’re confident the shooting was targeted,’ Detective Superintendent Cook said.
A devastated woman (pictured) broke down at the scene of the fatal shooting on Wednesday
‘He was a criminal solicitor, in the sense that that was his business to practise.
‘He has a lot of clients who are engaged in organised crime and other offences, so that is absolutely a line of inquiry in terms of his business.’ Detective Superintendent Cook said police were unaware of any threat to Mr Ledinh or his family before the shooting.
‘We’re searching for motives at the moment,’ he said. ‘Our focus at the moment is on speaking to witnesses who will provide that sort of detail.’
‘We’re still learning about him, learning about his background outside of his business. That will take us some time and that will require us to engage with the family more deeply.’
The New South Wales Police Force’s homicide squad said investigators did not believe the shooting was random
Police are hunting the killer of Mr Ledinh – well-known for his legal work and as a supporter of the Labor party
The killer was described as having an olive complexion – possibly of Pacific Islander appearance – with a medium build.
Vietnamese-born Mr Ledinh was the principal of Ledinh Lawyers which has its offices in Bankstown’s Old Town Centre Plaza and was admitted as a solicitor in 1999.
He was well-known for his legal work and as a supporter of the Labor party.
He also wrote columns on legal issues for the anti-communist Saigon Times news website in Sydney.
Huu Nguyen, who gave his friend CPR after the shooting, suggested his links to the criminal underworld or Vietnamese communist enemies could be responsible.
‘Ho, say something please! Say something!’ he cried to Ledinh as he died in front of him.