Chinese takeaway murder: Man jailed for Wenjing Lin killing

A man has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years for murdering a 16-year-old girl in a Chinese takeaway.

Chun Xu, 32, of no fixed address, was found guilty of strangling Wenjing Lin at the Blue Sky takeaway in Ynyswen, Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf on 5 March.

While handing down the sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, judge Paul Thomas told Xu: "You killed her as a wicked act of revenge upon her mother."

He was sentenced to life and will serve a minimum of 30 years.

He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Wenjing's stepfather Yongquan Jiang who he stabbed in the face and neck 20 times.

Xu refused to enter the dock for sentencing but Judge Paul Thomas QC, addressing the dock as if he was present, said: "You cruelly murdered an innocent 16-year-old girl in her own home.

"You killed her as a wicked act of revenge upon her mother; Wenjing had done nothing wrong to you at all.

"You, however, ended her life by strangling her with your hands, face to face."

He added that Xu's actions had left Wenjing's mother "utterly bereft" by someone she "considered to be a member of her extended family".

The judge added that Wenjing had had "a life of infinite promise and all that potential" but that was now "unfulfillable".

The trial heard Xu was considered to be a close family friend but he owed them money and wanted "revenge" on Wenjing's mother.

He strangled the schoolgirl as her parents slept nearby.

He then lured her stepfather into the basement of the takeaway and repeatedly stabbed him with two knives before attempting suicide by cutting his own throat.

Wenjing's mother, Meifang Xu, told the court via an interpreter that even though her daughter was no longer here, "every morning I still wake up and make her breakfast. I still make her a cup of tea every night and put it in her empty bedroom".

She also paid tribute to her daughter's friendship group.

"I cannot bear to look at her friends as they always look so sad, they are missing her terribly," she said.

She told the court that every day she watches video of Wenjing, "trying to be close to her and to hear her voice".

Wenjing's stepfather Yongquan Jiang told the judge he treated Wenjing as his own daughter. He said "I loved her with all my heart and she treated me back the same.

"She was brutally murdered and I feel my heart is empty."

He added that he has repeated nightmares.

He said: "I see Wenjing lying on the floor in the reception.

"I see Chun Xu face to face in my nightmares I don't know how to stop them. I don't know why he was so brutal to Wenjing and my family."

She described Wenjing as her "walking stick", someone who would translate for the family. She said the family now struggle to run their business without Wenjing's English language skills.

The judge told Xu: "You will be in your 60s before you can even apply for parole to be released. That will be in the year 2051.

"You may never leave prison if it is not deemed safe and appropriate to release you."

Senior prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Thomas Edwards said: "Chun Xu took the life of an innocent girl who had a bright future ahead of her, and whilst this conviction will see him answer for that, it can never change what happened.

"The evidence presented by the CPS at court showed that he had also brought a knife with him to the property and used it to attack someone.

"Our thoughts have been with the victims and their family throughout and will remain with them."