DPCs Lee and Kwok, DSGT Chau and DSIP Wai with the wealth of evidence

Detective Senior Inspector Eddie Wai Mu-lam received the Commissioner's Commendation for helping capture three men who raped, robbed and murdered several women in 1997.

Commissioner Eddie Hui Ki-on presented the accolade to the Central District Crime Squad Team One officer on June 16 at Police Headquarters.

The defendants were convicted in January last year, with two sentenced to life imprisonment and the third to 12 years.

In January 1997, a woman reported to Mong Kok Police Station that she was raped and robbed on Cheung Chau. DSIP Wai took on the case, then serving in the Marine Regional Crime Unit.

"As one of the suspects used the victim's mobile phone to contact a paging company, we closely monitored and analysed all incoming and outgoing messages of the account holder," he said, adding officers also kept watch on a suspect who used his passport to rent a Cheung Chau villa.

"We managed to identify the passport holder and trace his criminal records. This was crucial to our investigation."

The month-long surveillance resulted in the three arrests, and they gave their statements in a video interview room then on trial.

"It was our first time using the video interview room for statement taking and we had to go to Police Headquarters because the facility was not yet available at the Marine Regional Crime Unit," Mr Wai said.

This resulted in about 10 video tapes, three on the crime-scene reconstruction and the rest in statements. The tapes proved invaluable, offering the court a clear insight into the case.

"Although it took us considerable time and effort to prepare transcripts for the video tapes, it was really good to see justice being done," he said.

Working with the DSIP throughout the investigation, Detective Sergeant Chau Wai-yiu, and Detective Police Constables Lee Tin-sung and Kwok Shiu-chuen said the investigation was very rewarding.

DSGT Chau said:"We had to be extra cautious with each investigation procedure like surveillance, interrogation and the handling of statements, so not to make even the slightest technical error which could be detrimental to the prosecution."

DPC Kwok said he could never forget returning to the scene where the murderers buried the bodies, while DPC Lee Tin-sung described the culprits as cold-blooded.

"They killed the victims for a very small amount of money and even planned for the bodies' disposal well in advance. I just couldn't imagine how many more victims there could have been if we had not caught them," DPC Lee said.

(Note: DSGT Chau is now posted at the Central District Crime Squad, DPC Kwok is at Kwun Tong Divisional Investigation Team while DPC Lee is at Central District Anti-triad Squad.)



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