Chinese men plead not guilty to premeditated murder

THREE Chinese nationals accused of killing a fellow countryman last July, yesterday pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder at a Nicosia Criminal Court.

All three men, students Haito Dun, 27, and Dawei Chi, 24 and asylum seeker Fan Ma, 37, also pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Chinese men Yu Hua and Gong Kaixun during a violent brawl between two gangs who find housing for Chinese students in Cyprus.

Investigating officers believe that all three men had planned to murder 32-year-old Bian Hongning – who was stabbed six times.

Three of the stab marks located on the arms were defensive wounds while state pathologists also found two wounds to Hongning’s head and one wound on his chest.

Yesterday, the state prosecution charged the three defendants with planning the premeditated murder of Hongning, executing the premeditated murder of Hongning and causing the grievous bodily harm of Hua with the use of a knife and causing the grievous bodily harm of Kaixun also with the use of a knife.

The prosecution is set to call up 80 witnesses to testify in the trial.

The proceeding yesterday ended with Chi and Ma requesting lawyers from the state to represent them when the trial begins.

According to reports, the victim and his friends were part of two separate groups involved in finding housing for Chinese students for a fee.

The two groups then met to discuss how to share some new business by way of 17 Chinese students who’d arrived in Cyprus that day.

Hongning and his friends apparently did not reach an agreement and an argument broke out.

Two of the victim’s accomplices, who were slightly injured during the fight, said the other group pulled out knives and attacked them.

The trial starts on November 3.

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