{"id":6574,"date":"2017-04-04T09:13:51","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T13:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=6574"},"modified":"2017-04-04T09:13:51","modified_gmt":"2017-04-04T13:13:51","slug":"man-denies-body-suitcase-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2017\/04\/04\/man-denies-body-suitcase-murder\/","title":{"rendered":"Man denies ‘body in suitcase’ murder"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Live updates were given by Chris Slater)<\/a><\/p>\n

The trial of Ming Jiang, accused of murdering his friend, dismembering his body, and leaving the torso in a suitcase in a lay-by in Derbyshire is set to continue this morning. Mr Jiang, from Falconwood Way in Beswick , east Manchester, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Yang Liu. Mr Jiang,\u00a0 42, was arrested after a headless and limbless corpse was discovered in the burnt suitcase in a lay-by just off the A628 Woodhead Pass , near Tintwistle in Derbyshire, in October last year. It was identified later as that of Mr Liu. He was 36 and lived at Salford Quays in Salford.\u00a0 The jury at Minshull Street Crown Court were yesterday told Mr Jiang killed 36 year-old Yang Liu and assumed his identity in order to access his money and pay off his gambling debts.<\/p>\n

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC is resuming his opening of the case.<\/p>\n

Mr Jiang ‘found with Mr Liu\u2019s phone and passport, court hears<\/h3>\n

Mr Wright says Ming Jiang was arrested as he attended the 235 Casino on Watson Street in Manchester city centre. He says he not only had on him his own phone, but Yang Liu\u2019s phone and the dead man\u2019s passport. He tells the jury: \u201cYou will hear evidence consistent with this man using both of them, after the disappearance of Yang Liu. He was in fact using the phone purporting to be Yang Liu.\u201d He says this was all part of his plan \u201cto drain his bank accounts and try and sell his apartment\u201d in Salford Quays.<\/p>\n

Victims blood found in Mr Jiang’s flat, court hears<\/h3>\n

After his arrest crime scene officers went to search Mr Jiang\u2019s flat on Falconwood Way, off Ashton Old Road in Beswick, east Manchester. Mr Wright yesterday told the jury this is where the prosecution say Mr Liu was most likely murdered and his body dismembered.\u00a0 He says: \u201cIn and around the flat there was evidence of an extensive clean-up operation having been undertaken.\u00a0 But there were still traces of blood, the dead man\u2019s man blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police also found a mop, containing traces of blood and the sofa covers had been removed in an attempt to clean them, Mr Wright says.\u00a0 However there were areas were blood had seeped through he adds.\u00a0 \u201cAny clean-up had been only partial, and therefore only partially successful\u201d, Mr Wright says.<\/p>\n

Traces of blood were found on the defendant\u2019s jeans, cap, sandals and bomber jacket.\u00a0 A box was also found on the kitchen table which contained a bloodied hand print – the blood being Mr Liu\u2019s and the print matching that of the defendant.<\/p>\n

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Court told of ‘impressive array of cleaning products’ in the flat<\/h3>\n

Mr Wright is now talking about blood found in Mr Jiang\u2019s bathroom. He says dismemberment of Mr Liu\u2019s body \u201chad taken place somwhere, and what better place to conduct such an exercise than a bathroom.\u201d\u00a0 He says there was \u201cwhat we would say was quite an impressive array of cleaning products in this one bed flat.\u201d\u00a0 He adds: \u201cWhoever was doing the clean-up may not have realised how much scientific evidence had been left for forensic analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Defendant bought \u00a3178,000 of casino chips in days after victim’s disappearance, court hears<\/h3>\n

Mr Wright says a financial investigation into Mr Jiang was then carried out and that\u2019s when \u201cthe extent of his gambling habits were revealed.\u201d\u00a0 He says from October 6, the day after the last sighting of Yang Liu, and October 20, the day Ming Jiang was arrested, he had bough chips worth \u00a3178,000 from the 235 Casino.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot bad for a man being chased by all manner of debt collectors\u201d Mr Wright says.<\/p>\n

He goes on to say Mr Jiang had previously racked up losses of \u00a3273,115 at two Manchester casinos, Genting and 235.\u00a0 He says between April and June 2016 Mr Jiang had debts he was struggling to pay and had pawned a number of expensive watches worth \u00a315,000. However he says during the period of Mr Liu\u2019s disappearance he \u201cappeared to have a change of fortune\u201d and bought one of the watches back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Jiang told police he was in a relationship with victim<\/h3>\n

Ming Jiang told police in interview that he and Mr Liu that they were both gay and in a gay relationship \u201cso as to explain his involvement some of Yang Liu\u2019s activities and why he had many of the dead man\u2019s possessions.\u201d\u00a0 He also claimed they were considering entering into a civil partnership.\u00a0 But Mr Wright says: \u201cIt\u2019s all a smokescreen and it\u2019s all untrue.If they were in a relationship, why didn\u2019t he know where his flat was?\u201d he adds.\u00a0 \u201cSurely the first thing you\u2019d ask your partner, where do you go every evening? Where do you live? Shall I come round and see you?\u201d\u00a0 Mr Wright references an incident in which the prosecution allege Mr Jiang tried to get a casino staff member to tell him the address. There was also an enquiry made to a property company in Mr Liu\u2019s name asking to value an apartment, but it wasn\u2019t his.<\/p>\n

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Defendant requested Land Registry deeds to victim’s flat, court hears<\/h3>\n

The prosecution say Ming Jiang used Yang Liu\u2019s money to request the Land Registry deeds to his flat, so he could sell it.\u00a0 They were asked to be sent to an email address which started mastertalent@ and which was owned by the defendant.\u00a0 \u201cThis man has few talents, and does not deserve such an email address, you may surmise upon hearing the evidence in this case\u201d Mr Wright says.\u00a0 \u201cHe has an overblown sense of his own abilities.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Jiang told police Mr Liu would offer disappear with older, gay Chinese men he had met online and leave Mr Jiang in his flat and with his belongings. However Mr Wright says \u201cthe only person taking part in such conduct was in fact defendant.\u201d\u00a0 He says he had arranged to meet one man on the night of October 9, the night before Mr Liu\u2019s body was found, but he cancelled as he \u2018had other things to do\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n

Prosecution alleges Mr Jiang met estate agent to discuss sale of victim’s flat<\/h3>\n

Ming Jiang was also making plans to leave his flat on Falconwood Way, the court is told. \u201cOnce he had done the clean-up, he was out\u201d Mr Wright says. He says he started making enquiries about getting a new flat in north Manchester or nearer the city centre.\u00a0 The jury are told an estate agent met a man, who they allege was Mr Jiang pretending to be Mr Liu, at the flat, to discuss its sale as he \u2018wanted to go back to China.\u2019 The agent says the man he met was \u201cvery fidgety, very rushed, not interested in me at all, and wanted a quick sale.\u201d\u00a0 Between October 10-15 the defendant was also found to have arranged and paid for the freighting of seven boxes of possessions to an address in Shangha, the court hears.<\/p>\n

\n

Mr Jiang ‘changed his account on a number of occasions’, court hears<\/h3>\n

After his arrest, Mr Jiang was interviewed over a period of two days. \u201cHe changed his account on a number of occasions\u201d the court is told.\u00a0 \u201cYou may well conclude this defendant is a man willing to fit the facts to any account which would conceal his involvement in the murder\u201d Mr Wright adds.\u00a0 He also said he was in a relationship with Mr Liu, who he was an escort and often went off with older men for sex.\u00a0 He said when he did, he left his phone, passport, and other belongings with him.\u00a0 Asked about his presence near the lay-by he said he had attempted to drive to Sheffield for a poker game but had to turn back on the Wooodhead Pass.\u00a0 \u201cHow convenient\u201d Mr Wright says.<\/p>\n

When the discovery of blood in his car and flat was revealed to his legal team he first gave no comment, and then completely changed his account, and continued to change it a number of times Mr Wright says. He says he changed his version of events at least seven times.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no consistency in the different permutations of his accounts, details, timings, last sightings, etc\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n

Prosecution conclude opening<\/h3>\n

Mr Wright dismisses the accounts given by Mr Jiang in interview and reasserts the prosecution\u2019s case. \u201cWe say, the defendant lured his gambling friend to his flat, killed him and set about disposing of his body, and concealing his involvement.\u00a0 \u201cHe then assumed the dead man\u2019s identity with a view to solving his insatiable gambling habits and financial problems.\u201d\u00a0 This was a murder done for gain in which the body of the deceased was disposed in order to claim his wealth for his own enrichment.\u201d\u00a0 This was as cold and ruthless as it was calculated and compelling\u201d he adds.\u00a0 \u201cHaving heard all the evidence, and placed it in the appropriate context, we say you can be satisfied so that you\u2019re sure he was responsible for the murder of Yang Liu.\u201d<\/p>\n

That concludes the prosecution opening.<\/p>\n

The trial is now adjourned with the the jury set to hear the first evidence tomorrow morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source\u00a0 manchestereveningnews.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Live updates were given by Chris Slater) The trial of Ming Jiang, accused of murdering his friend, dismembering his body, and leaving the torso in a suitcase in a lay-by in Derbyshire is set to […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[3179],"class_list":{"0":"post-6574","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-uk","9":"tag-body-in-suitcase-murder","10":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6574"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6584,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6574\/revisions\/6584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}