Dismembered man dumped in suitcase on moors in Derbyshire was killed for cash, court heard

Wealthy Yang Liu, aged 36, is alleged to have been killed by heavy gambler Ming Jiang, 43, in a bid to solve his debt problems.

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard claims that Jiang hoped police officers would be unable to identify the mutilated body of his friend.

He was in debt and being chased by creditors.

His friend, Mr Liu was 'comfortably off,' owning his apartment in Salford, he played the stock market and had money in the bank.

Jiang, who denies murder and lived in Beswick in inner-city Manchester, is alleged to have killed his friend, stuffed the body in a suitcase and and dumped it in a remote layby on the moors before setting it alight.

He is then alleged to have used his victim's bank card to withdraw £800 to gamble at a Manchester casino.

The body was found on October 10 last year by walkers just off the A628 road in Tintwistle.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said: "In early October 2016, the defendant, he came up with a solution to his financial problems. He murdered Yang Lui.

"He was a heavy gambler and like many gamblers lost more than he won.

"He dismembered the body, in all likelihood in his own flat and then disposed of the body parts of his former friend.

"He then set about assuming the dead man's identity, gaining access to his bank accounts and his personal effects and his apartment.

"The body was badly burned.

"The body had been extensively dismembered.

"The head, both lower arms and both lower legs had been severed and removed.

"They have never been found.

"The limbs had been severed by, it would appear to be, someone who had been using some bladed form of weapon.

"From examination of the scene it appeared that the body must have been transported to the site and was in the suitcase when it was then set on fire."

Detectives trawled hundreds of hours of CCTV footage before identifying a silver Mercedes car approaching and leaving the layby area where the suitcase was dumped and found it was registered to Jiang.

Distinctive tyre tracks at the layby also matched the Mercedes and traces of blood in the boot matched DNA from the body.

The trial continues.