Murder victim stabbed in bungled robbery attempt, say police

A Hong Kong woman murdered on Christmas Day in her mainland villa was stabbed during a botched break-in and not for personal reasons, police in Zhongshan said yesterday.

The victim was found in the kitchen of her home at 10.20am on Sunday. Her throat had been slit and she had been stabbed in the neck and throat with a sharp knife, the city's Public Security Bureau said. It did not disclose the victim's age or the time of death.

Police arrested a 29-year-old man from Hunan at the scene and said he had confessed to the murder during questioning.

Officers said the suspect broke into the woman's house at Zhongshan Morning Star Villa, a popular residential area for Hongkongers, at about 11pm on Saturday.

They said he robbed the woman at knifepoint after she returned home at about 3am on Sunday and then held the knife to her neck when he discovered a safe upstairs.

The victim said that only her husband knew the safe's combination, and he was in Hong Kong. Her attempts to call him failed so she tried to contact him through a friend at 9.10am on Sunday, the police said.

The friend thought she sounded unusual on the phone, and called at the villa 20 minutes later and discovered the woman was being held hostage. Police arrived and tried to persuade the suspect to surrender but the man was uncooperative, officers said.