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Clifford Lo

Polly Hui

Australian found dead on podium of Mirador Mansion

Two British students were arrested yesterday just hours into their first visit to Hong Kong after the fatal fall of an Australian tourist from a Tsim Sha Tsui building.

John Renc, 22, was found to have fallen from Mirador Mansion in Nathan Road at about 6.30am yesterday.

The Australian was found unconscious on the internal third-floor podium by a security guard, who called the police.

Paramedics declared Renc dead at the scene.

Initial investigations indicated Renc had fallen from an internal corridor on the 13th floor of the building. He was staying in the USA Hotel on the same floor, according to a police source.

Police said the incident happened after Renc had returned from drinking outside the building. He was seen playing with a fire extinguisher in the corridor before falling.

Sources said residents heard laughing and shouting from the corridor outside their flat at about the time the fall took place.

After initial investigations, crime-squad officers from Tsim Sha Tsui police station arrested two male British tourists, both aged 19.

The pair said last night through their lawyer that they were innocent of any wrongdoing.

'My clients are two students from England who came to enjoy the bright lights of Tsim Sha Tsui and Lan Kwai Fong, but their first night in Hong Kong ended in them witnessing a tragic accident,' said Andrew Powner, a solicitor from Haldanes. 'Some friendly and light-hearted fun sadly ended with a fatal accident in which they were not involved.

'Although arrested by the police, they have not been charged at this stage and I await a decision on bail. A number of witnesses, some from the United Kingdom and Australia, are still being interviewed. My clients are assisting the police with their inquiries and have expressed their sympathy to the family of the deceased.

'I am confident that after a full police investigation, my clients will be released unconditionally.'

One of the pair is believed to be on his gap year before he begins university, while the other is going into his second year at university.

Mirador Mansion, a labyrinth of passages around a central well, houses many hostels for backpackers, residential flats, tailor shops, construction businesses, as well as brothels.

It is similar to nearby Chungking  Mansions, with people of many different nationalities and backgrounds passing through.

Renc and two other Australians checked into the hotel on Wednesday and the two Britons checked in on Thursday.

One of the two Australian friends became emotional after learning of Renc's death and had to be restrained by police, who pinned him to the floor and handcuffed him. Police said he was not arrested.

The regional crime squad for Yau Tsim Mong district, which is handling the case, was still interviewing witnesses and residents in the building last night. The arrested pair were detained overnight for questioning but had not been charged.



Two British students held over fatal fall