Helper 'jumped off waterfall'

Ayra Wang

A married British man "confessed" to police that his girlfriend - a 25-year-old Indonesian helper who was found dead at Waterfall Bay Park in Aberdeen on Monday - jumped off a cliff when he broke up with her, sources have said.

The British man, 34, and his local wife, 36, were arrested at West Kowloon Station on Tuesday for alleged involvement in the murder case. The two were still detained as of Wednesday night.

The man, who has a Hong Kong identity card, operates a coffee shop in Central.

Sources said he and the helper had been lovers for more than a year after meeting in Central.

"According to the man's confession, he and the victim took a taxi to the park on Sunday night, where he told her he wanted to break up," the sources said. "The victim then became very emotional and suddenly jumped off the cliff."

The sources added that the man said he rushed to the bottom of the 15-meter-high waterfall "in a panic only to find her floating face down in the water. He thought the victim was dead and freaked out and then fled the scene without calling police."

However, the sources also indicated that the validity of the man's confession remained questionable and required further investigation.

The man was seen being escorted by police to the park at around 3.30pm yesterday for a reenactment, with forensic officers also present.

He was seen handcuffed and wearing a black hood.

Detectives brought a bag, believed to contain a humanoid doll to use in place of the victim, and asked the suspect to retell what happened.

The whole process lasted about two hours, after which the suspect was escorted into a car and taken away at around 5.30pm.

An earlier investigation revealed that the suspect and his wife live in South Horizons with their three-year-old son and a helper.

The Indonesian victim came to Hong Kong in 2021 and had yet to find a new job after her contract ended recently. Police had also confirmed that the victim was not working for the suspect.

The body was discovered at the bottom of the waterfall at around 7.30am on Monday by a passerby. Wounds were found on the front and back of her head, ranging from around two to four centimeters in size, along with several minor bruises on her limbs.

Police also found an Octopus card and keys in the victim's pockets while her phone and slippers were found at the bottom of the waterfall. Police identified the victim through her phone.

The preliminary autopsy report showed that her head came into contact with a hard object and it is believed she drowned to death.

Police checked footage from nearby surveillance cameras, showing that the man and victim walked into the park and to the top of the waterfall after arriving by taxi at around 11pm on Sunday.

Footage also showed that the man got in a taxi and left the park at around 11.40pm while there is no video of the victim doing so.

The man went to the mainland on Monday morning with his wife before returning by high-speed rail from Guangzhou at around 5pm on Tuesday.

The couple were immediately arrested at West Kowloon Station.

The man was arrested on suspicion of murder while the wife was arrested for allegedly aiding a criminal to leave Hong Kong.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com