Four sentenced over businessman’s brutal killing
Four people have been sentenced over the “brutal and senseless attack” which saw Co Antrim businessman Nelson Cheung murdered and his wife assaulted and robbed “to pay drug debts”.
Mr Cheung, 65, and his 57-year-old wife Winnie moved to Northern Ireland in 2003 and ran a Chinese restaurant in Randalstown.
In January 2015, their vehicle was rammed off the Caddy Road as they drove home to Ballymena from work shortly after midnight.
In the subsequent attack, Mr Cheung was stabbed 18 times while his killer demanded money.
His wife was dragged from the driver’s seat of the car by her hair, suffering an injury to her head which required staples and a life-changing stab wound to her hand which prevents her working.
Her handbag containing an iPad, iPhone, bank cards, £200 cash, and banking documents was stolen before the attackers fled.
Winnie Cheung tried to help to help her husband and also ran to nearby houses to call the police, but he tragically died at the scene.
On Tuesday, 35-year-old Virgilio Correia - formerly of Grant Avenue in Randalstown - was jailed for 16 years for murder. He was also sentenced to 12 years for wounding with intent and 12 years for robbery, to run concurrently.
His co-accused - 28-year-old Christopher Menaul, originally from Barra Street in Antrim - was jailed for nine years for murder. He also received a further 12 years for wounding with intent and 12 years for robbery, to run concurrently.
A third man – 34-year-old Gary Thompson, from Felden Avenue in Newtownabbey – was jailed for seven years for robbery.
He received a further three years for assisting offenders and three for attempting to pervert the course of justice, also to run concurrently.
His partner Lisa Thompson, also from Felden Avenue, received a two-year suspended sentence for handling stolen goods.
The 35-year-old also received a further two-year suspended sentence for assisting offenders and a two-year suspended sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice, to run concurrently.
Following sentencing at Laganside Crown Court, Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch, said: “These four individuals were involved in the vicious murder of Nelson Cheung in varying degrees, but all of them have contributed to destroying the life of this hardworking couple.”
DCI Corrigan explained: “The break for the investigation team came when it was found that an attempt had been made to purchase a hot tub from eBay, using a credit card stolen in the robbery.
“This online attempted transaction was made within one hour of Mr Cheung’s death.
“Our enquiries into this online activity then led us to the home address of Gary and Lisa Thompson.”
He added: “Detectives were able to piece together the movements of the four people involved, directly before and after the murder - including the fact Virgilio Correia and Christopher Menaul had followed the Cheungs the previous night in a ‘dry run’.”