Flight Attendant's Killer Given Life In Prison

A man was jailed for life on Friday for murdering his air hostess ex-girlfriend and hiding her body in a wardrobe at her home in Tsuen Wan.

A seven-person jury convicted 31-year-old Oscar Mok on Tuesday of the murder of Arbe Chan, in December 2013.

The court had heard how he strangled the 26-year-old and hid her body in a bedroom wardrobe. He then concealed her flight attendant uniform and stole her bank card and mobile phone.

Mok fled across the border, but was eventually arrested by mainland authorities and was brought back to Hong Kong in February last year. While he was on the mainland he met another woman and they had a child who is now 2-and-a-half years old.

Mok claimed he never meant to kill Chan, but said he had been provoked after discovering she had a new boyfriend. He said she taunted him about her new lover, saying he was better in bed than Mok was.

In mitigation, the defence counsel pointed out that Mok hadn't denied the killing and he was sincerely sorry for what he had done and the trauma he had caused Chan's family and friends.

But Justice Joseph Yau said Mok's defence had tried to put the murder victim on trial. He said Mok took Chan's life because of his jealousy and possessive character, yet still chose to make spurious and outrageous allegations against her.

The judge said Mok had not shown the least amount of respect for the deceased, despite saying he loved her.

Justice Yau said the trial had rubbed salt into the wounds of Chan's family, who had to relive the awful memory of her horrendous death, and the court failed to see any single hint of remorse in the defendant.

As well as life imprisonment for murder, he sentenced Mok to nine months for theft and attempted theft, to be served concurrently.