British banker 'filmed torture and murder of victim on iPhone

A Hong Kong court Monday heard how British banker Rurik Jutting tortured one of his victims for three days as the trial opened into the killings of two Indonesian women at his upscale apartment.

Jutting, 31, had earlier Monday pleaded "not guilty" to two counts of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The prosecution rejected the lesser plea.

The court heard Jutting filmed both women on his iPhone and jurors were warned by judge Michael Stuart-Moore that the footage was "very shocking indeed".

Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih, both in their 20s, were found dead in Jutting's flat in the early hours of November 1, 2014, after he called police.

Prosecutor John Reading said Ningsih was tortured with pliers and a belt for three days at Jutting's apartment in Wan Chai - where expensive homes lie close to a red-light district.

Jutting then killed her in the shower with a serrated knife, Reading said.

Ningsih who was in Hong Kong on a visitor visa, had intimate relationship with Jutting on a previous occasion at a hotel for an amount of money, Reading said, but had offered to refund half the cash to be allowed to leave early, because he treated her violently.

She had reluctantly agreed to meet Jutting again on October 26 when he offered her another amount of money which was not specified.

After she was killed, her body was wrapped in plastic sheets and blankets, and put inside a suitcase, Reading said.

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