Man convicted of murdering schoolgirl in Treorchy Chinese takeaway

• Report by ITV Wales journalist Hamish Auskerry

A man has been found guilty of murdering a 16-year-old girl in a Chinese takeaway.

Chun Xu killed Wenjing Lin - also known as Wenjing Xu - and was also convicted of trying to kill her stepfather, Yongquan Jiang.

Merthyr Crown Court heard Wenjing was strangled at her family's Chinese takeaway in Ynyswen, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on March 5.

And today (November 9), the jury found Mr Xu, 32, guilty of murder and attempted murder.

During the trial, Mr Jiang told the court how on the morning of the attack, Xu had lured him down to the basement of the Blue Sky Chinese takeaway on Baglan Street after asking for a piece of fish from the freezer.

Xu then launched a frenzied knife attack on him, Mr Jiang said. He told the court: "I was reaching into the freezer and suddenly I felt my neck was painful and there was force on my neck... pom, pom, pom."

He continued: "I didn't think he was stabbing me, I didn't know. I didn't realise until I turned my body around and saw he was using two knives and stabbing me."

Mr Jiang said he fell to floor after slipping on his own blood and a struggle ensued during which he said the defendant stabbed him in the face.

Xu had admitted to the manslaughter of Wenjing and unlawfully wounding Mr Jiang - but denied murder and attempted murder.

Mr Jiang said he managed to grapple one of the knives from Xu's hands and then asked him: "What's wrong with you today?" But Xu did not respond.

After a further tussle, Mr Jiang said he asked Xu again why he was attacking him, and this time the defendant responded with: "Money, money, money."

The court also heard how Xu had owed the family £14,000.

After Mr Jiang's wife, Wenjing's mother Meifang Xu, came down the stairs and rang a friend for help, the witness said he went upstairs to open the front door of the shop and wait for an ambulance, and there he found Wenjing lying on a black mat by the counter.

Weeping, he said: "I turned around and saw Wenjing was lying down by the counter. I started calling my wife: 'Come down quickly, Wenjing has also been attacked by him.'"

"I walked close to Wenjing and her face was purple. I was trying to pick her up. She was lifeless. Then I dropped her and was sitting on the sofa."

Mr Jiang said his wife came upstairs and cradled her daughter's body.

He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where he stayed for around 15 days, receiving treatment for 10 injuries.

Xu had cut his own throat after the attack and was taken to University Hospital of Wales for treatment after which he was arrested, the court heard.

He later told a police psychologist he wanted "revenge" against Wenjing's mother Meifang Xu after he fell into debt.

A statement from Ms Xu was previously read out in court, in which she said of her daughter: "The moment I saw her, her face had gone black and pale. I went to hug her and her body was cold. I could see her neck was black as she had been strangled."

The court heard Ms Xu regarded the killer as a nephew even though they were not blood relatives, because their families are next door neighbours in China.

Following the verdict Judge Paul Thomas told Xu he could expect a sentence of life imprisonment.Xu will be sentenced on Friday (November 12).