Liu Hong Mei was working in Singapore
Liu Hong Mei was a 22-year-old Chinese national employed as a production worker at Agere Systems Singapore. Leong Siew Chor was her immediate supervisor. The Court of Appeal record states that the two had become intimate while working at the same company.
On June 13, 2005, Leong took Liu's ATM card without her permission and later made unauthorized withdrawals totaling S$2,071.40. When Liu discovered the missing card and the withdrawals, she reported the matter to police and was advised to obtain surveillance footage from the bank.
The discovery of the theft preceded the killing
The appellate judgment records that Liu told Leong she would be able to view surveillance images connected to the withdrawals. On the morning of June 15, Leong asked her to go to his Geylang flat. The court found that he killed her there by strangulation.
Leong then attempted to conceal the crime and disposed of Liu's remains and belongings at multiple locations. The discovery of human remains near the Kallang River led investigators to identify Liu and detain Leong within a short period. The National Library Board's Singapore Infopedia account documents how the investigation unfolded across the different recovery sites.
The defence centered on an alleged suicide pact
Leong did not dispute that he caused Liu's death. His defence was that Liu had agreed to die first as part of a supposed suicide pact and that he lost his nerve before taking his own life. That argument mattered legally because consent to the risk of death could potentially reduce the offence from murder under the law then applicable.
The trial judge rejected that account. The Court of Appeal later reviewed the evidence and agreed that the alleged pact was not credible. It noted Liu's plans and circumstances, the timing of her discovery of the bank theft and inconsistencies in Leong's statements.
The murder conviction survived appeal
Leong was convicted of murder in the High Court in 2006. On October 6, 2006, the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed his appeal in Leong Siew Chor v Public Prosecutor [2006] SGCA 38.
The appellate court found no basis to disturb the trial judge's factual conclusions and held that Leong had not proved the alleged suicide pact. The murder conviction therefore remained in force.
Why this case is not split into multiple entries
The theft of Liu's bank card, the homicide, the concealment of her remains and the later appellate litigation are all parts of one criminal event and one prosecution. Crime by Region treats them as a single case file rather than fragmenting the episode to increase the Singapore count.
Timeline
June 13, 2005: Leong takes Liu's ATM card and begins making unauthorized withdrawals.
June 14, 2005: Liu discovers the missing card and reports unauthorized transactions.
June 15, 2005: Liu goes to Leong's flat, where the court found that he kills her.
June 16–17, 2005: recovered remains lead investigators to identify Liu and detain Leong; he is charged with murder.
2006: Leong is convicted of murder in the High Court.
October 6, 2006: the Court of Appeal unanimously dismisses his appeal.
Current status
The murder of Liu Hong Mei is Solved / Adjudicated. Leong Siew Chor was convicted of murder, and Singapore's Court of Appeal upheld that conviction.