Hong Kong double murder: Trial of British banker Rurik Jutting adjourned

The pre-trial hearing for British banker Rurik Jutting, accused of murdering two women in Hong Kong last November, has been adjourned for five weeks after the prosecution requested more time to build its case.

Prosecution lawyers asked a Hong Kong court for the extra time to serve further documents for their case against the 30-year-old former Bank of America (BofA) employee.

Judge Jason Wan Siu-Ming said the adjournment was not unusual or unreasonable for complicated cases.

Jutting's lawyers did not object and the hearing will resume on 8 May, Reuters reported.

Cambridge-educated Jutting was deemed mentally fit to stand trial in November, after undergoing psychiatric tests.

He has been charged with the murder of two women of Indonesian origin -- Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih -- in his upscale apartment in the Wanchai district in November.

The women were working as domestic workers in Hong Kong, but were reported to be engaged in illegal sex trade.

Jutting, who moved to Hong Kong from London in July 2013, is understood to have quit his highly-paid job in the days prior to the incident.

At Cambridge, Jutting attended Peterhouse, the oldest college, and was president of the Cambridge University History society. He was also a cross-country runner and a rower.

Prior to Cambridge he went to Winchester College, one of Britain's oldest private schools.