HONG KONG: A man who murdered, then dismembered a teenage girl was convicted in her slaying yesterday and sentenced to life in prison. The High Court verdict was unanimous.

In passing sentence on Ting Kai-tai, 24, Justice Alan Wright described the man's crime as barbaric.

Ting met his victim, Wong Ka-mui, 16, through a compensated-dating website. The murder took place at Ting's flat on Shek Kip Mei Street.

Ting had admitted to one count of preventing the lawful burial of the body and was sentenced to four years concurrently.

The court earlier heard that Ting dismembered Wong's body, tossed her head in the sea and flushed some of her remains down a toilet in April last year.

Ting's lawyer, Finny Chan Fei-nai, told the court at a previous hearing that Ting claimed he had consumed drugs the previous night and that morning, and had passed out before finding Wong dead on the afternoon of April 27.

Testimony at the trial, however, revealed telephone records showing Ting had received a telephone call on his mobile phone that afternoon.

Senior police inspector Au Wai-shuen, of the Kowloon West region, called the case a tragedy and he described Ting's act as unimaginable.

Chui Yui-luen, the regional crime prevention officer of the Crime Kowloon West Headquarters, said, "The situation is getting worse. Compensated-dating does not require a (specific) place (to attract customers). They can post online advertisements and then others can get in touch with them. Usually, they are asked to come out to have a chat and then may have sex transactions."

She said clients are mostly charged between HK$800 and HK$1,600 each time and middlemen can usually earn HK$200 to HK$300 for each transaction.

Some teenage girls in the trade are controlled by syndicates, Chui added.

She appealed to all girls not to get involved in the seamy business. "In fact, this is not compensated-dating. In fact, this is prostitution," she said.

A police spokesman said during the first phase of operation of "Whale Diver", aimed at curbing teenage prostitution and compensated-dating, the Regional Crime Unit of Kowloon West had arrested four men and 12 women from July to September last year.

During the second phase of the operation in April this year, another four men and two women were arrested, the spokesman said.

Chui said most of the girls were secondary school students.

She noted that online advertisements on compensated-dating are becoming prevalent.

She said police had posted messages on five compensated-dating websites since January to appeal to girls not to get involved in the trade. Six more such websites will carry the message soon, she said.

Chui said it is dangerous to get involved in compensated-dating as the girls or young women may be led to unknown places by customers, with whom they are unfamiliar.

"They will not only ruin their own prospects, but may also lose their lives, as shown in this case," she said.

Chan Man-ho, the unit-in-charge of the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung Outreaching Social Work Team of the Federation of Youth Groups, said few compensated-dating girls seek help from social workers.

Some will turn to professional help only when they get pregnant, he said.

Chan found Wong's case shocking and said it shows that compensated-dating may be life-threatening.

China Daily

(HK Edition 07/28/2009 page1)