Hello Kitty murder case
The Hello Kitty murder case was the murder of Fan Man-yee in Hong Kong in 1999. Man-yee lived in an orphanage until she was 15, when she was kicked out because no one wanted to take her. She became homeless and got addicted to drugs. Eventually, she became a street prostitute and when she turned 21, she joined a brothel. Fan married a fellow addict, who was also her client in 1996. She gave birth to a boy in 1998. Man-yee's husband was abusive, as claimed by their neighbors.
Background
changeA triad member named Chan Man-lok (34 years old) was a regular client of Fan Man-yee. In early 1999, Fan Man-yee stole about $4000 HK ($500) from Man-lok. When she got caught, she immediately returned the wallet. But, when Chan Man-lok asked for an extra $HK 10,000 from her, she said that she needed more time to get the money. The kidnapping took place on 17th March, 1999.
Kidnapping and death
changeShe was kidnapped by 3 men and a young girl, Ah Fong who was groomed by Chan Man-lok. They took her to an apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui (No. 31 Granville Road) and imprisoned her for a month until her death.
She was raped and tortured and was beaten with household items and was also used as a punching bag. She was also kicked in the head (around 50 times). Her legs and feet were burned with wax and hot plastic which made her unable to walk. She was also forced to consume Ah Fong's feces and the men's urine. And, if she was refusing, she would be beaten more. She was forced to smile and say that she had enjoyed the abuse. Eventually, she died because of traumatic shock on 15th April 1999. Her body was dismembered and boiled, and her head was shoved into a Hello Kitty doll, providing a title for this case. Only her skull, one tooth and few internal organs remained.
Trial and convictions
changeAh Fong told the police about this after she had been seeing the image of a young woman in her 20s haunting her, which she assumed was Fan Man-yee. The people who allegedly abused her repeatedly were Leung Wai-Lun (21), Leung Shing-cho (27), Chan Man-Lok (34) and his grooming victim, Ah Fong (14). After a six-week long trial, the three men were convicted of manslaughter due to the jury's inability to judge whether her death was due to a drug overdose or murder. But, they sentenced the men because their abuse had a role in her death. Ah Fong testified in trial as an exchange for immunity.
Justice Peter Nguyen states that Hong Kong had never heard of a more gruesome crime, and the psychiatric reports marked the three as 'remorseless'. There was no review for parole for 20 years, until 2020.