26 Years Later: The Gruesome Fate Of The 'Hello Kitty Murder' Killers And The Recidivism That Shocked Hong Kong
The "Hello Kitty Murder" case remains one of the most horrific and sensational crimes in Hong Kong’s history, a brutal act of violence that forever stained the innocence of a beloved cartoon icon. More than two decades later, as of December 2025, the chilling details of the 1999 killing of nightclub hostess Fan Man-yee continue to haunt the public imagination, yet the fate of her three perpetrators remains a subject of intense, morbid curiosity.
This article provides the most current and definitive update on the three men responsible, whose sentences were not simple prison terms but indefinite hospital orders, and reveals the shocking details of one killer's release and subsequent return to jail, confirming the court's original fears about their danger to society. The case is a stark reminder of the dark underbelly of Hong Kong's nightlife and the devastating consequences of debt and depravity.
The Victim and the Perpetrators: A Complete Biography List
The 1999 case involved a single victim and three primary perpetrators, all linked by a spiral of debt, drugs, and violence in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The initial catalyst for the crime was a relatively small, desperate act: the theft of a wallet.
Fan Man-yee (The Victim)
- Age at Death: 23 years old.
- Occupation: Nightclub hostess (also known as a call girl or escort) in Hong Kong.
- Background: Fan Man-yee had a difficult life, having lived in an orphanage until the age of 15 when she was reportedly kicked out. She was a mother to a young son, and was reportedly battling drug addiction at the time of her death.
- The Crime's Catalyst: In February 1999, Fan Man-yee stole a wallet belonging to Chan Man-lok, a regular customer and one of the future perpetrators, containing approximately HK$4,000. This theft was the spark for the subsequent month-long torture and murder.
The Perpetrators (The Three Killers)
The three men were tried together and convicted of manslaughter and false imprisonment, though they were acquitted of murder on the grounds that Fan Man-yee's precise cause of death could not be determined due to the dismemberment of her body. They were sentenced to indefinite detention in a hospital due to their psychopathic personality disorders.
- Chan Man-lok (陳文樂)
- Role in Crime: Considered the ringleader and the one whose wallet was stolen.
- Sentence: Indefinite detention in a secure psychiatric hospital, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
- Current Status: Remains in indefinite detention, with his release subject to review by the hospital and a parole board, given the court's finding that he posed a continued danger to society.
- Leung Shing-cho (梁勝祖)
- Role in Crime: An active participant in the abduction, torture, and dismemberment.
- Sentence: Indefinite detention in a secure psychiatric hospital, with the Court of Appeal upholding the sentence due to his "merciless" nature and continued danger to the public.
- Current Status: Remains in indefinite detention, subject to regular review.
- Leung Wai-lun (梁偉倫)
- Role in Crime: An active participant in the torture and dismemberment.
- Sentence: Indefinite detention, which permitted a conditional release after a period of time and psychiatric review.
- Current Status (The Shocking Update): Leung Wai-lun was eventually released from the indefinite hospital order. However, he was reportedly re-jailed in August 2022 for 12 months for indecently assaulting a 10-year-old girl. This act of recidivism starkly validated the court's original concerns about the perpetrators' danger to the community.
The Abduction and the Unspeakable Torture
The brutality of the "Hello Kitty Murder" is what truly cemented its place in the annals of global true crime. The events began in March 1999 after Fan Man-yee failed to repay the debt to Chan Man-lok.
Fan was abducted from Lai Yiu Estate and taken to an apartment at 31 Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, an area now known for its bustling tourist attractions.
For approximately one month, Fan Man-yee was held captive and subjected to unimaginable, systematic torture by the three men and a 13-year-old female accomplice (who later became the key witness).
The torture was described in court as sadistic and prolonged, including being beaten with iron bars, burned with hot plastic, forced to eat human excrement, and having her injuries doused with chili oil.
The ultimate cause of death was determined to be either a fatal blow or an overdose, though the exact moment of her death was obscured by the subsequent dismemberment of the body.
The Grisly Discovery and the Infamous Doll
The case earned its chilling moniker from the shocking nature of the body disposal. After Fan Man-yee died, the perpetrators dismembered her body and boiled the remains to destroy evidence.
The remains were scattered throughout the apartment, but the most macabre detail was the discovery of the victim's skull.
The skull was stuffed inside a large, cheerful Hello Kitty mermaid doll that was found in the apartment.
This juxtaposition of extreme horror with a symbol of childhood innocence—the globally recognized Sanrio character—is what captured the world’s attention and gave the case its notorious name. The apartment itself was later nicknamed the "Hello Kitty Murder Flat."
The Witness Who Broke the Case
The entire horrifying ordeal came to light only when the 13-year-old girl, who had been living in the apartment and was present during the torture, walked into a police station.
Visibly traumatized, she recounted the month-long ordeal and led police to the apartment on Granville Road.
Due to her cooperation and the nature of the duress she was under, the young girl was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony against the three men. Her statement was instrumental in securing the convictions.
The Legal Aftermath and the Indefinite Sentence
The trial, which began in 2000, was a media spectacle in Hong Kong. The defense successfully argued that while the men were guilty of the torture and dismemberment, the exact cause of death could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the lesser charge of manslaughter instead of murder.
The judge, however, took the unprecedented step of sentencing the men to an indefinite stay in a secure psychiatric facility, a "hospital order without limit of time."
This sentence reflected the court's belief that the three men suffered from psychopathic personality disorders that made them a persistent and severe danger to the public.
The Current Status and Recidivism
The indefinite hospital order means that the release of Chan Man-lok and Leung Shing-cho is not a matter of serving a fixed term, but of proving to a review board and hospital authorities that they are no longer a threat to society. This is an extremely high bar to meet, and as of the current date, they remain in detention.
The most recent and disturbing update, however, centers on Leung Wai-lun. Having been released after a period of detention and psychiatric review, he was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2022 for indecently assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
This act of recidivism, more than 20 years after the original crime, brought the "Hello Kitty Murder" back into the headlines, serving as a grim testament to the enduring danger posed by individuals with such severe personality disorders and the difficulty of rehabilitation for such heinous crimes. The case remains a dark, unforgettable chapter in Hong Kong's true crime history, a story where the line between fiction and unimaginable horror was brutally erased.
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