Man Charged In Britain With Killing Chinese Couple

A police spokeswoman said Guang Hui Cao, 30, was charged with killing Xi Zhou and her boyfriend Zhen Xing Yang, both 25.

British police said on Sunday they had charged a man with the gruesome murders of a Chinese couple in the northeastern city of Newcastle.

A police spokeswoman said Guang Hui Cao, 30, was charged with killing Xi Zhou and her boyfriend Zhen Xing Yang, both 25, whose hacked and mutilated bodies were discovered at their flat in August.

"Families of both the victims in China have been informed of tonight's developments," the spokeswoman said. The suspect will appear before a court in Newcastle on Monday.

No further details were available. Police had previously said they were looking into the possibility that the couple may have been killed because of their involvement in "fraudulent activity".

Media reports said they ran an Internet betting scam, recruiting people online to send live updates from British soccer matches to China. The games are broadcast there with a slight delay, and the tipoffs enabled syndicates to place bets with the benefit of advance information.

Police said Zhen had suffered a prolonged assault before being stabbed to death, and Xi may have been asphyxiated as well as stabbed. The couple's cat was found drowned in their flat.