Chinese mistress accused of slaying ex-lover’s wife and grandson, 4, with garden shears
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 02 April, 2015, 11:47am
UPDATED : Thursday, 02 April, 2015, 9:07pm
Agence France-Presse in Melbourne
Cai Xia Liao, 45, is pictured in the back of a police car, in this scene shot by Australia's Nine News. Photo: Nine News
A spurned Chinese woman sobbed hysterically in court today after being accused of killing a four-year-old boy in Australia with garden shears before laying in wait 10 hours for his grandmother to come home.
Cai Xia Liao, 45, then allegedly stabbed the grandmother to death, too.
She has been charged with two counts of murder and one count each of intentionally causing injury and false imprisonment.
Cai was allegedly having an affair with the boy’s grandfather Brian Mach, 61, whom she bound and gagged in his home on Tuesday morning.
Police allege she murdered four-year-old Alistair Kwong as he lay in bed during a visit to his grandparent’s house while his parents worked, stabbing him repeatedly in the head and neck with the large shears.
Murder victim Alistair Kwong , in an image from the Herald Sun newspaper broadcast by Sky News. Photo: Sky News
Cai, reportedly in Australia on a tourist visa, is accused of waiting for Mach’s wife Mai, 60, to return home before stabbing her 23 times with the same shears in their backyard.
A neighbour reportedly alerted police after witnessing the second killing.
An out-of-sessions court hearing late on Wednesday was told Brian Mach had recently broken off a relationship with the woman. It was not clear whether he was injured during the ordeal.
Cai, who does not speak English, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court earlier today and sobbed uncontrollably during a short appearance.
Her lawyer Sarah Pratt said Cai needed blood pressure medication and had suicidal thoughts.
Reports said Cai made no comment in a police interview and declined to speak during the late night hearing.
Family friend Diana Teoh, who had known Alastair since birth, told the Herald Sun newspaper he was “very bubbly, a very good boy”.
“They [Alistair’s parents] are trying to be strong for the rest of the family but they are definitely very devastated,” she said.
“We don’t know what to tell our children too because they played with him all the time.”
Cai will return to court for a committal hearing on July 22.
