A 34-year-old British businessman, Jamie Tzewee Chapman, has been charged with the murder of an Indonesian domestic worker following a tragic incident at a Hong Kong park waterfall.
During a court appearance on Friday, Chapman did not enter a plea, and his lawyer did not request bail. The judge has adjourned the case until January to facilitate further investigation.
Chapman and his wife, a Hong Kong resident, were arrested on Tuesday upon returning from mainland China. His wife was initially detained on suspicion of assisting an offender but has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.
According to police reports, Chapman and the victim, Mevi Novitasari, visited a waterfall in a park on Hong Kong Island on Sunday night. Chapman departed approximately 30 minutes later, and the following morning, local residents discovered the body of the 25-year-old domestic worker in the pond below the waterfall.
Authorities confirmed that she had sustained a head injury and drowned.
Mevi Novitasari was originally from Cilacap in Central Java, Indonesia. Although she was employed as a domestic worker in Hong Kong, she did not work for Chapman.
The Indonesian consulate, in coordination with her employment agency, is arranging for the repatriation of her body and will continue to monitor the ongoing investigation into her death.
This case raises significant concerns about public safety and the need for thorough investigations into violent incidents in Hong Kong.
As authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mevi Novitasari’s death, the focus remains on ensuring justice for her family and community.
