Sex, torture and murder
HK court hears gruesome details of banker’s acts of violence
Gruesome details of British banker Jutting’s acts of violence emerge during trial in Hong Kong.
Hong An Indonesian woman was tortured for three days with a belt and sex toys before her tormentor cut her throat, the High Court heard.
Jurors also heard how banker Rurik Jutting then filmed himself talking about the first killing before murdering another Indonesian woman by cutting her throat five days later.
On the first day of the Briton’s trial, the prosecution gave detailed accounts of the deaths of Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih in 2014.
Jutting has denied two counts of murder but pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter.
Ningsih, 23, was said to have been in Hong Kong on a visitor’s visa before she was killed.
Jutting asked her to spend time with him on Oct 25, 2014, the court heard.
He later subjected her to “increasingly cruel acts of violence using his belt, sex toys, a pair of pliers and his fists” in his Wan Chai flat, prosecutor John Reading told the court.
“After torturing her for three days he took her into the bathroom ... made her lick the toilet bowl, and then he cut her throat with a serratededged knife,” the barrister said.
Sumarti did not die immediately, so Jutting dragged her into the shower and continued to “saw through” her neck until she was dead, the prosecutor continued.
He allegedly wrapped the body in plastic bags and placed it in a suitcase, the court heard.
Reading said the banker had recorded himself on video talking about how he enjoyed dominating the victim and killing her and that he had talked about turning fantasy into reality.
“I definitely could not have done that without cocaine,” Reading quoted Jutting as saying, referring to his having killed Sumarti .
On the evening of Oct 31, Jutting was said to have approached Seneng, 26, a domestic helper who was also working at a bar in Wan Chai.
After they returned to Jutting’s flat, Seneng saw a gag made from rope and a condom, Reading said.
As she shouted at him, he pulled her to the floor and cut her throat with a knife, the prosecutor continued.
The Briton called police on the morning of Nov 1.
After he was arrested, he told officers that he used cocaine after the second killing.
“It seems that he was hallucinating. He saw the handle move,” Reading said.
Five men and four women in a ninemember jury will decide whether Jutting is guilty of murder.
The hearing is scheduled to last 15 days before deputy High Court judge Justice Michael StuartMoore.
When selecting the jury, the judge told jurors they would be shown certain “unpleasant photographs” as evidence.
A few said they did not watch “bloody” action or horror movies. They were relieved of their duties.
Cambridge graduate Jutting, a former securities trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, faces a threeweek jury trial and life in prison if convicted on the murder charges.
The killings shocked the city of seven million – typically regarded as safe and known for its glitzy skyscrapers – and shone a spotlight on the seedy underbelly of the financial hub.
Jutting was deemed fit to stand trial following psychiatric tests and is being held at a maximum security prison.
Cleanshaven, much thinner than during his first court appearances, and wearing a darkblue shirt, Jutting calmly entered his official plea for the first time yesterday, saying: “Not guilty to murder by reason of diminished responsibility, but guilty to manslaughter.”