A 14-year-old girl walked into a Hong Kong police station saying she was being haunted by a ghost. Officers dismissed her — until she explained whose ghost it was, and that she'd helped kill her.
In May 1999, that confession led police to an apartment in Kowloon, where they found the skull of 23-year-old Fan Man-yee sewn inside a large Hello Kitty mermaid doll. It became known as the Hello Kitty Murder, one of the most notorious crimes in Hong Kong's history.
Who Fan Man-yee Was
Fan Man-yee was born in Shenzhen in 1976 and abandoned by her family as a child, growing up in a girls' orphanage in Hong Kong. At 15, she aged out of the orphanage and became homeless. She developed a drug addiction and turned to street prostitution to support it, eventually finding steadier work at a brothel and later as a nightclub hostess.
A Stolen Wallet
In early 1999, Fan stole roughly HK$4,000 (about US$500) from Chan Man-lok, a 34-year-old triad member, drug dealer, and one of her regular clients. When Chan discovered the theft, Fan returned the money immediately but couldn't pay the additional penalty fee he demanded. Chan decided that wasn't enough.
Abduction and Captivity
On March 17, 1999, Chan and two associates, Leung Shing-cho and Leung Wai-lun, abducted Fan from her apartment, along with a 14-year-old girl known publicly only as “Ah Fong.” Ah Fong was Chan's girlfriend in name, but court records identify her as his grooming victim — a detail that later factored into how she was treated by the legal system.
Fan was held captive in an apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui for roughly a month. What began as a plan to force her into prostitution to repay her debt escalated into sustained, severe torture — repeated beatings, burns, and abuse that left her unable to walk. The full extent of what was done to her, documented at trial, was described by the sentencing judge as among the most disturbing cruelty ever heard in a Hong Kong court.
Her Death and What Followed
Fan died sometime between April 14 and 15, 1999. Her captors claimed she had overdosed on methamphetamine; because of the condition of her remains, medical examiners were never able to determine a definitive cause of death, though they confirmed she had suffered extensive injuries consistent with prolonged abuse.
After her death, the men dismembered her body and attempted to dispose of the remains, keeping her skull, which they later placed inside a large Hello Kitty mermaid plush toy.
How the Case Broke
Ah Fong, tormented by guilt and describing nightmares in which she believed she was being haunted by Fan's spirit, went to police in May 1999 and confessed to her own involvement, leading them to the apartment. Investigators found it filled with Hello Kitty merchandise and, ultimately, the doll containing Fan's skull.
Trial and Sentencing
At trial, all three men denied murder. In December 2000, a jury convicted Chan Man-lok, Leung Shing-cho, and Leung Wai-lun of manslaughter rather than murder, along with related charges including false imprisonment — a verdict reflecting the fact that the exact cause of Fan's death couldn't be conclusively established. Sentencing them to life in prison, Justice Peter Nguyen said the case involved a level of “cruelty, depravity, callousness, brutality, violence, and viciousness” unlike anything the court had previously heard. Because of her age and her cooperation, Ah Fong was granted immunity and never faced prosecution.
What Happened Since
Leung Shing-cho later successfully appealed his original conviction, pleaded guilty in a retrial, and was resentenced to 18 years, ultimately being released in 2011. In August 2022, he was sentenced again — this time to 12 months in jail for the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. Chan Man-lok and Leung Wai-lun remain incarcerated; Chan's parole applications have been repeatedly denied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were the men convicted of murder?
No. They were convicted of manslaughter, not murder, because the exact cause of Fan Man-yee's death couldn't be definitively established.
What happened to Ah Fong, the teenager who reported the crime?
She was granted immunity due to her age and cooperation and was given a new identity after the trial. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Are the perpetrators still in prison?
Chan Man-lok and Leung Wai-lun remain incarcerated. Leung Shing-cho was released in 2011 but was sentenced again in 2022 for an unrelated sexual assault of a child.
Is the Hello Kitty doll still in existence?
The doll is reportedly preserved in Hong Kong police evidence storage, though not publicly displayed.