British double murderer Rurik Jutting loses bid to take appeal to Hong Kong’s top court

Former banker can still apply directly to Court of Final Appeal for permission to appeal against his conviction

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Rurik Jutting lost his the appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal in February. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:36am, 11 Apr 2018Updated: 11:40am, 24 Dec 2020

An appeal bid by Rurik Jutting, the Briton jailed for life over the brutal murders of two Indonesian women in Hong Kong, was dealt another blow on Wednesday, when an appeal court refused to give him the green light to take the case to the city’s top court.

The former Merrill Lynch banker lost his first appeal against his conviction for the murders of Sumarti Ningsih, 23, and Seneng Mujiasih, 26, at the Court of Appeal in February. He filed a subsequent request to the same court for its approval to take his case to the Court of Final Appeal.

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal refused his bid, saying Jutting’s case was not one involving “a point of law of great and general importance” – a requirement for the court to give its blessing.

Sumarti Ningsih was Jutting’s first victim. Photo: Handout

The Cambridge graduate is not out of options, however, as he can still apply directly to the Court of Final Appeal for permission.

Seneng Mujiasih was killed days after the first murder: Photos: Handout

Jutting, 32, was jailed for life by the High Court on November 8, 2016, after a nine-member jury unanimously found him guilty of the drug- and alcohol-fuelled murders of the two women.