Moments before surrendering to police after killing two Indonesian women in his high rise Hong Kong apartment two years ago, British banker Rurik Jutting shouted and waved a knife at pedestrians on the streets far below, a court heard on Thursday.

In police video interviews shown on the fourth day of the murder trial, Jutting calmly detailed his last moments before calling police to end his nightmarish cocaine and alcohol fuelled descent into an abyss of torture and killing.

Collapsing exhausted on his balcony after struggling to cut the throat of his second victim, the Cambridge University educated, former investment banker told how he then brandished a knife at people walking below.

The video evidence did not reveal what he roared from the 31st floor of his apartment building. “When I decided to surrender, I dropped my knife,” Jutting said, describing how he barricaded himself into his bedroom and called police. He also dropped and smashed a bottle of vodka.

Dressed in a light blue shirt, Jutting, 31, sometimes shut his eyes and tilted his head upwards when confronted with the video evidence on Thursday.

Hong Kong police grill British trader over double murder

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, AFP

Jutting has admitted killing Sumarti Ningsih, a 23-year-old single mother, and another Indonesian woman, Seneng Mujiasih, 26 after six weeks of rapidly escalating cocaine usage.

But he has pleaded not guilty to murder on grounds of diminished responsibility, while pleading guilty to the lesser crime of manslaughter.

After surrendering, Jutting gave police his phone, which contained photographs of both victims as well as four hours of video footage. “I told them there’s evidence in there,” he said during the police interview.

The jury was earlier shown footage that Jutting filmed himself during the sexual torture and killing of Ningsih, capturing his taunts and boasts as well as his remorse.

A toxicologist, called as an expert witness by the prosecution on Wednesday, described the quantities of cocaine consumed by Jutting during a six-week binge as unbelievably high.

Murder carries a mandatory life sentence in Hong Kong, while manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of life.

The High Court trial is due to continue next week.

TOKYO – President Duterte on Wednesday assured Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he struck no military alliance with China and that he would insist on the rule of law in the South China Sea.

Abe, in turn, supported Mr. Duterte’s move to improve ties with China, saying he and the Philippine leader had confirmed the importance to them of the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea and compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Improving China ties

“In that regard, Japan welcomes the effort of President Duterte visiting China and endeavour to improve and further advance the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and China,” Abe said after a meeting with the visiting President of the Philippines.

Japan is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China, which involves five uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, and has a strategic interest in the maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

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Duterte in China to promote economic ties

Source:

Reuters

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Mr. Duterte’s visit to Japan came just days after a four-day visit to China, during which he declared “separation” from the United States, causing worries in the Japanese government and business circles.

Japan is a staunch ally of the United States and hosts 50,000 US troops.

At the start of his meeting with Abe, Mr. Duterte told the prime minister that he would remain an ally of Japan.

‘We stand by you’

“You can rest assured, and I give you my word, that we would stand by you when the time comes,” Mr. Duterte said.

He repeatedly assured the Japanese leader that the Philippines did not enter into a military alliance with China.

Read also: Duterte says he will not ‘impose’ on China

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Duterte told Japanese businessmen that his visit to China last week was all about economics.

In his meeting with Abe, Mr. Duterte said he would seek a peaceful resolution of the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.

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Duterte’s visit in Japan

Source:

Reuters

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He told Abe that when the time comes for him and Beijing to discuss the dispute, he would cite the ruling of the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated China’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea.

“Whether we like it or not, someday we’ll have to talk about it and present our side and I said, in front of you, I cannot go out of the arbitral doctrine. I’m limited to what it says,” Mr. Duterte said.

“There were no military alliances, no nothing, only pursuit of trade and commerce,” he added.

Mr. Duterte also said Japan would be a crucial dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which the Philippines will chair next year, in efforts to ensure adherence to the rule of law.

Read also: South China Sea to not feature on Duterte’s Japan visit agenda

Abe and Mr. Duterte agreed to co-operate in promoting regional peace and stability and endorsed Japan’s provision of patrol boats and military training aircraft to bolster the Philippines’ maritime security.

“The two leaders look to their network of friendship and alliances, in particular the ever stronger ties between the Philippines and Japan, to help promote peace, stability and maritime security of the region,” the two leaders said in a joint statement issued after their meeting.

Japan and the Philippines signed agreements, including Japan’s provision of two coast guard boats and T-90 military trainer aircraft as part of its contribution to step up Philippine maritime security capability.

Japan also agreed to support infrastructure and agricultural promotion projects in the Philippines to help economic development.

Also signed was a memorandum of co-operation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs Communication of Japan and the Presidential Communications Office of the Philippines.