Life for Hong Kong killer of British woman, Janet Gilson

The retired Salvation Army Officer was found dead under her niece's sofa

The body of Janet Gilson, 64, was found hidden under a sofa in Hong Kong

A man who brutally murdered a retired Salvation Army Officer has been jailed for life in Hong Kong.

The body of Major Janet Gilson, 64, was found hidden under a sofa at her niece's home in Lamma, the third largest island in Hong Kong, in March 2011. She had been reported missing three days earlier.

Ahmed Fareed, who was 29 at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at the city's hight court yesterday, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Judiciary said.

The court heard that she had been suffocated after being strangled with a rope and had a towel stuffed into her mouth. Four of her ribs had been broken.

It is understood Fareed was the ex-husband of Maj Gilson's niece and had been barred by a court order from entering the property.

Maj Gilson had retired shortly before her death and lived in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

PA