Rurik Jutting, the British banker accused of murdering two women in his upscale Hong Kong apartment, will undergo two psychiatric assessments while his case is adjourned for two weeks.
The 29-year-old former Bank of America employee appeared at the Eastern Court this morning but was not asked to make a plea.
The prosecution explained to the court that Jutting had refused to take part in a reconstruction of events, a commonplace practice in Hong Kong, and that the police have denied the defendant’s requests to contact the British Embassy and to select his own solicitor. He was instead given a list of Law Society lawyers to choose from.
Rutting called the police to is flat in J Residence, Johnston Road, Wan Chai, in the early hours on Nov. 1. Officers found the body of a woman whose throat had been slashed. She has only been identified by international media due to Hong Kong reporting restrictions.
A second body, identified as 25-year-old Sumarti Ningsih, was discovered hours later in a black suitcase on the balcony. Both women are said to be Indonesian.
According to the SCMP, the defendant’s counsel told the court that he has yet to receive any instructions from his client. Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai advised Jutting to talk to his lawyer, and ordered two psychiatric reports to determine whether or not he is fit to make a plea.
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