简体中文
Hilary St John Bower. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A Hong Kong teacher who “vanished” in Shenzhen three weeks ago – sparking an anxious 22-day hunt by family, friends and colleagues – was murdered the same night he disappeared, it was revealed on Tuesday night.
A Hong Kong police spokesman confirmed that mainland authorities had issued a “notification” that 60-year-old Hilary St John Bower was killed on the mainland on the night of March 22, the date he was last seen alive at the Lo Wu border crossing.
It is understood arrests have been made on the mainland but there are no details on how Bower died or when the Hong Kong police were told of his killing.
On Tuesday night, Bower’s friend and colleague at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Richard Charles, criticised police on both sides of the border for their “shoddy and shambolic” handling of the disappearance and their treatment of relatives and friends.
Fear and suspicion mount over British teacher missing two weeks
The dead man’s younger brother, Robin, was on a flight bound for Hong Kong from London on Tuesday night. It could not be confirmed if he was aware his brother was dead.
“I find it unbelievable that Hilary’s friends and colleagues have had to find out from the media about this. We are in shock and are extremely upset,” said Charles.
Last week fears emerged that his disappearance could have been tied to a HK$9 million windfall he was expecting for the sale of a mainland property.
The disappearance sparked a global law enforcement alert after his brother contacted police in Britain who in turn were understood to have gone through the international police organisation Interpol in a bid to get information from the mainland’s Public Security Bureau.
Last week Charles told thePost: “Anyone who knows Hilary knows he is a pretty disorganised guy, but he was on his way to see his son. There was no reason for him to disappear.
“I do know that after buying at the bottom of the property market a good few years ago, he was expecting to be paid somewhere in the region of HK$9 million for a property he just sold in Shekou,” he added.
Charles said concern had arisen in light of the “complicated” deal and the possibility his disappearance might be connected.
He added he and members of Bower’s family were unhappy with the lack of action by police on both sides of the border. The younger brother had contacted police in Britain, he said.
A spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office in London, who last week confirmed they were engaged in the matter, was unavailable for comment.
The case had been classified by police as that of a “missing person” and was being investigated by the Regional Missing Persons Unit of Kowloon West.
(SCMP)
