Hello Kitty murder
Encyclopedia
The Hello Kitty Murder in Hong Kong
refers to the case of a night club hostess who was kidnapped and tortured in an apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui
in 1999. She eventually died over a month later, either by drug overdose or at the hands of the abductors. She was decapitated and her head was put in a Hello Kitty
doll, hence the name of the case.
, Tsim Sha Tsui
, where they imprisoned her. They beat and tortured her daily over a debt dispute.
After a month of imprisonment and torture, she was killed, dismembered and her skull was stuffed into a giant Hello Kitty
mermaid doll. They discarded most of the other body parts. Only the woman's skull, one tooth and some internal organs were recovered.
The killing was exposed after the 14-year-old girlfriend of one of the three perpetrators reported having continual dreams of being haunted by Fan's ghost
.
The murder quickly became a sensational story in the media.
because the remains could not identify exactly how she died. They remain incarcerated.
Justice Peter Nguyen, who sentenced the trio, said, "Never in Hong Kong in recent years has a court heard of such cruelty, depravity, callousness, brutality, violence and viciousness." The trio was convicted of manslaughter and unlawful imprisonment by a jury of the Court of First Instance
after a six-week trial. They revealed it to be one of the most gruesome cases in the territory.
An episode of the television series Bones
, "The Girl in the Mask", involves finding the decapitated head of a young Japanese woman from an American escort service in a mask.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
refers to the case of a night club hostess who was kidnapped and tortured in an apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
in 1999. She eventually died over a month later, either by drug overdose or at the hands of the abductors. She was decapitated and her head was put in a Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
doll, hence the name of the case.
Case
A 23-year-old night club hostess by the name of Fan Man-yee (樊敏儀) was kidnapped by three men: 34-year-old Chan Man-lok (陳文樂), 27-year-old Leung Shing-cho (梁勝祖) and 21-year-old Leung Wai-lun (梁偉倫). They took her to an apartment at Granville RoadGranville Road
Granville Road, , is a road in Tsim Sha Tsui of Hong Kong. Located between Chatham Road and Nathan Road. The Road runs parallel to Kimberley Road, Cameron Road and Kimberley Street.- The name :...
, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
, where they imprisoned her. They beat and tortured her daily over a debt dispute.
After a month of imprisonment and torture, she was killed, dismembered and her skull was stuffed into a giant Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
mermaid doll. They discarded most of the other body parts. Only the woman's skull, one tooth and some internal organs were recovered.
The killing was exposed after the 14-year-old girlfriend of one of the three perpetrators reported having continual dreams of being haunted by Fan's ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
.
The murder quickly became a sensational story in the media.
Court handling
The three men were convicted of manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
because the remains could not identify exactly how she died. They remain incarcerated.
Justice Peter Nguyen, who sentenced the trio, said, "Never in Hong Kong in recent years has a court heard of such cruelty, depravity, callousness, brutality, violence and viciousness." The trio was convicted of manslaughter and unlawful imprisonment by a jury of the Court of First Instance
Court of First Instance (Hong Kong)
The Court of First Instance is one of two courts in the High Court of Hong Kong. The court has unlimited jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters...
after a six-week trial. They revealed it to be one of the most gruesome cases in the territory.
Cultural reference
The publicity around the case resulted in the production and release of films that told the story. Both Human Pork Chop (烹屍之喪盡天良) and There Is a Secret in My Soup (人頭豆腐湯) were released in 2001.An episode of the television series Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, "The Girl in the Mask", involves finding the decapitated head of a young Japanese woman from an American escort service in a mask.
External links
- Trio sentenced to life in jail for gruesome killing in H.K - Asian Economic News, 11 December 2000