3 Nov 2014

Rurik Jutting ‘tried to kill himself’ – former girlfriend

Exclusive: An ex-girlfriend of Rurik Jutting, the British banker charged with the murder of two women in Hong Kong, tells Channel 4 News he was “depressed” and had tried to kill himself.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, dated Mr Jutting for around two months after meeting him last July in a bar she worked at.

In a phone interview with Channel 4 News, she said that she was shocked when she heard the news that two bodies had been found in his apartment.

“When I first heard the news, I didn’t really believe it. I never thought he could do that. He was such a nice person,” she said.

“We used to drink together, but he never smoked so I can’t believe that he took cocaine. People who knew him thought he was a nice person, intelligent and smart. He’s a happy person. I really don’t have any idea why he’d do something like that.”

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She said he was a “perfectionist” who could be strict, but she added: “He was a very nice person with me because I was his girlfriend.”

Rurik Jutting in police van

She continued: “He was always strict with other people. I understand that because he’s from an educated family. We’d often see each other every Friday after he finished work. Every time we met he was always stressed because of work. He told me that he had financial problems and some issues with stuff.”

She also said he had discussed suicidal thoughts in the past.

“Last October he told me that he tried to kill himself,” she said.

“I think he tried to kill himself because he’s under pressure with his job. He was depressed.”

Rurik Jutting was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning after police found the dead bodies of two women in his apartment.

On Monday, Mr Jutting appeared at a court in Hong Kong and was charged with two counts of murder. He will appear in court again on 10 November.

Reporting by Harry Horton