HONG KONG
A Hong Kong court has transferred to the High Court a case against a British banker charged with killing two Indonesian women.
A short pre-trial hearing was held at the Eastern Court on Friday, and Magistrate Jason Wan transferred the case against Rurik Jutting, 30, to the Court of First Instance, public broadcaster RTHK reported.
Jutting was remanded in custody, with the court set to fix a date for his trial.
He is charged with two counts of murder over the killings of Sumarti Ningsih, 23, on Oct. 27 and Seneng Mujiasih, 29, on Nov. 1.
He was arrested Nov. 1 when he called police to his flat, where they found Mujiasih dead with cuts on her neck and buttocks. On the apartment’s balcony, they discovered Ningsih's decaying body inside a suitcase, wrapped in a carpet. A knife was found at the scene.
Later that month, a court found Jutting fit to stand trial after psychiatric tests.
Mujiasih and Ningsih, who local media described as prostitutes, had originally come to the international financial center for employment as domestic workers. Their families have told Anadolu Agency that the victims had been sending money back to Indonesia.
Hong Kong is home to a large community of expatriate bankers who work long hours. Occasionally, the stressed -- but well-paid -- bankers are involved in grisly crimes.
