Hilary St. John Bower
Chinese police say they have arrested a woman and two men suspected in the killing of a Hong Kong-based British language instructor found dead in southern China.
Officers in the city of Shenzhen declined yesterday to elaborate on an earlier statement saying the 38-year-old woman identified by her surname Xu had killed 60-year-old Hilary St. John Bower, her boyfriend of 17 years, over a relationship dispute.
The statement said two men aged 28 and 23 assisted Xu and were arrested with her on April 8. It said the investigation was ongoing.
The British embassy in Beijing said it was supporting the family of a British national who had died in southern China and was in close contact with local investigators. No other details were given.
Bower was an English instructor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A colleague was quoted by the city’s South China Morning Post newspaper as saying Bower was anticipating a windfall from a real estate investment in Shenzhen, located just across the border from Hong Kong, although the police report said nothing about a dispute over money. He was reported missing by another girlfriend on March 30.
Bower’s killing follows the poisoning death of British citizen Neil Heywood by the wife of a leading Chinese official in November 2011. The murder set off the country’s biggest political scandal in decades, leading to the downfall of high-profile communist politician Bo Xilai. AP
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