Tuen Mun rapist gets life for three murders

THE Tuen Mun rapist was yesterday sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment after a High Court jury took less than an hour to find him guilty of murdering three of his victims.

The six men and one woman jury panel rejected Lam Kwok-wai's defence of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

He strangled the three women after raping one and indecently assaulting the other two between February and May last year after following them into lifts as they went home late at night.

Mr Justice Bewley passed the mandatory life imprisonment sentence on Lam after hearing how he had attacked and raped another seven women during a 16-month spree.

Lam, 23, a decorator, had shown no emotion during the four-day trial and remained calm when the verdicts were returned.

He also pleaded guilty to eight rapes and seven robberies before going on trial for murdering three victims.

The High Court jury was not told about the other cases, although they heard he had told police he had committed many other rapes.