Murdered Indonesian's family to sue HK-based banker

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - The impoverished family of an Indonesian migrant worker butchered in Hong Kong says they will file a $1.5 million claim for compensation after a British banker was found guilty of her murder.

Lawyer Boyamin Saiman told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that representatives of Sumarti Ningsih had asked him to file the claim on behalf of her seven-year-old son.

"We plan to file a lawsuit in December," Saiman said by phone, adding that the family of another Indonesian woman whose mutilated body was found in the same apartment as the 23-year-old was still to contact him.

He said the money will be used to pay for education and other life expenses for Ningsih's son, who has been cared for by the family since Ningsih's marriage broke up around the time he was born.

On Tuesday, investment banker Rurik Jutting was convicted of double murder by a Hong Kong jury for slitting the throats of Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih (26) in 2014.

The 31-year-old now faces life behind bars after being found guilty by a nine-member jury who deliberated behind closed doors for close to four hours.

Ningsih's mother, Suratmi, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that the family -- who live in a village in Cilacap, Central Java -- has struggled financially since their daughter was very young.

"We always wanted her to continue at school, but she refused as she knew that we did not have enough money. We all work in the fields and have an income of no more than $3 per day," she said.

Ningsih left home at the age of 13, and after seeking work in Jakarta drifted from city to city before she became pregnant in 2009.

"A week after giving birth, the man left her and never came back," said Suratmi.

In 2011, the family agreed to look after the child while Ningsih utilized a migrant workers agency to find work.

"She was forced to go to Hong Kong because we were poor, and she had to support her son and family."

Once in Hong Kong, Ningsih began to send money back for her family after finding work as a housekeeper, and then moving to work in the city's red light district.

There, she met Rutting, a Cambridge University graduate, who filmed her torture for three days in his upscale apartment, where she was found eventually found dead in a suitcase.

"The sadness and pain of her death can never be lost. Never," said Suratmi.

Ningsih's father, Ahmad Kaliman, underlined Jutting's responsibility to Ningsih's son now that he has deprived him of a mother and financial support.

"He must pay compensation to us so we can ensure this child has a life," he told Anadolu Agency in a phone conversation.

Kaliman said that whatever work Ningsih found in Hong Kong, he remained convinced his daughter is a good woman, who did what she had to do to support her family.

"She just wanted her family to be happy and to finish her son's education," he said.

The family lawyer says compensation cannot alleviate grief, but it can ease the economic burden.

"I am optimistic that we will win this lawsuit because Jutting has now been convicted," Saiman said.