Students suffocated by landlord who stole money, court told
They were bound and gagged tightly with brown packing tape “so their ability to breathe was compromised. They were both alone when they suffered the horror of it. One hopes their suffering did not last long,” said Jonathan Laidlaw, prosecuting.
But after Kim Kyu Soo allegedly murdered the women, he used their credit cards to extract cash from their accounts, Mr Laidlaw told the court.
“Precisely why he killed them is not clear. Was there a sexual motive? Was it simply about money?
“Or a more sinister possibility is that he achieved a sadistic form of pleasure from the slow deliberate form of killing and sex and money was simply incidental,” Mr Laidlaw told the jury.
Kim, 31, from Eagle Street, Holborn, London denies murdering Jin Hyo Jung, 21, between October 25 and 28 and Song In Hea, 22, between December 3 and 8, 2001.
They were both South Korean women on visits to Britain when “they were murdered in the most chilling and distressing circumstances“, said Mr Laidlaw. Both were almost naked or in a state of undress when they were eventually found.
They were bound by the wrists with packing tape so they could not resist, said the prosecution. Tape was also bound around their nose and face.
As money had been withdrawn from cash machines using their PIN numbers, “there is a dreadful possibility the killings were deliberately extended so that information could be extracted from the victims“, said Mr Laidlaw.
Kim wanted to cover up what he had done, he alleged.
Miss Jin’s body was forced into a large suitcase which was dumped in a country lane in Askham Richard, North Yorkshire, and not found until November.
Miss Song’s body “was concealed in a cupboard which was sealed at an address in east London. It was not discovered until March last year.”
Kim was also a South Korean who came to Britain in 2000 to study English. “He sought to support himself by running guest houses for students travelling to this country to study or sightsee.”
Kim rented properties in Poplar and in Eagle Street.
Signs of her blood was found on carpets and walls of the main bedroom where Kim and his girlfriend slept, said Mr Laidlaw. The case continues.
