Lam Kor-wan
Encyclopedia
Lam Kor-wan was one of Hong Kong
's two known serial killer
s. The other was Lam Kwok-wai
.
driver, would pick up female passengers, strangle them with electrical wire, take them to his family home, and dismember them. His English
moniker, "The Jars Murderer", was coined when the police revealed that he had hoarded sexual organs in tupperware
containers. He was a keen photographer and frequently took pictures and video of his victims, filming himself performing an act of necrophilia
with his fourth victim. The Chinese press nicknamed him "The Rainy Night killer" (Traditional Chinese
雨夜屠夫) because several of his attacks occurred during inclement weather.
Lam shared his bedroom with his brother, who was unaware of his activities; Lam worked the nightshift, so was able to dismember victims at home during the daytime without his immediate family finding out. The bodies were disposed of via his taxi in the New Territories
and on Hong Kong Island
, and all were eventually located.
tipped off the police and they were waiting for him when he returned to pick up the photos. When confronted Lam claimed that the photographs belonged to a friend of his who worked on a ship who would meet him shortly; when the man did not appear the police accompanied Lam to his parents' first floor apartment on Kwei Chau Street and performed a search. The police located an old ammunition box in the bedroom he shared with his brother; the box contained pornography and more photographs of body parts, video tapes and several tupperware
containers containing women's sexual organs.
. On the 29th August 1984 Lam's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
, as was the tradition before the abolition of the death penalty in 1993. He is currently serving his life sentence at Shek Pik Prison.
in the movie Doctor Lamb (1992).
Lam was later portrayed by Lawrence Ng
in a more fictional light in the 1994 film The Underground Banker in which Lam, now released from prison is a reformed Buddhist who is friendly and helpful to his neighbour and only returns to his psychotic killing state to help his neighbour take revenge on Triads who raped, murdered or maimed most of his family.
The 1999 film Trust me U Die is sometimes known by the alternate title The New Dr. Lamb, but has no connection to Lam Kor-Wan or the previous film except that both star Simon Yam.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
's two known serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s. The other was Lam Kwok-wai
Lam Kwok-wai
Lam Kwok-wai is one of Hong Kong's two known serial killers.He was convicted of 10 rapes and three murders. His murder weapon was his bare hands; he referred to his right hand as his "fork".- Victims :...
.
Crimes
Lam, who worked as a taxiTaxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver, would pick up female passengers, strangle them with electrical wire, take them to his family home, and dismember them. His English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
moniker, "The Jars Murderer", was coined when the police revealed that he had hoarded sexual organs in tupperware
Tupperware
Tupperware is the name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, containment, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946....
containers. He was a keen photographer and frequently took pictures and video of his victims, filming himself performing an act of necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
with his fourth victim. The Chinese press nicknamed him "The Rainy Night killer" (Traditional Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
雨夜屠夫) because several of his attacks occurred during inclement weather.
Lam shared his bedroom with his brother, who was unaware of his activities; Lam worked the nightshift, so was able to dismember victims at home during the daytime without his immediate family finding out. The bodies were disposed of via his taxi in the New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
and on Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
, and all were eventually located.
Arrest
Lam was arrested by plain clothes officers on August 17, 1982. He had attempted to develop photographs of one of his dismembered victims at a Hong Kong Kodak shop. The shop manager in Mong KokMong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
tipped off the police and they were waiting for him when he returned to pick up the photos. When confronted Lam claimed that the photographs belonged to a friend of his who worked on a ship who would meet him shortly; when the man did not appear the police accompanied Lam to his parents' first floor apartment on Kwei Chau Street and performed a search. The police located an old ammunition box in the bedroom he shared with his brother; the box contained pornography and more photographs of body parts, video tapes and several tupperware
Tupperware
Tupperware is the name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, containment, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946....
containers containing women's sexual organs.
Trial
On April 8, 1983 at the end of a 21 day trial with a seven member all male jury, Lam was found guilty of four counts of murder and sentenced to death by hangingHanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. On the 29th August 1984 Lam's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
, as was the tradition before the abolition of the death penalty in 1993. He is currently serving his life sentence at Shek Pik Prison.
Victims
- Chan Fung-lan, female, age 22, body found in seven separate pieces in the Shing Mun RiverShing Mun RiverShing Mun River, or Shing Mun River Channel, is a river in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.-History:The original Shing Mun River began at Needle Hill, and flowed into the former Tide Cove , a shallow bay. In the 1970s, Tide Cove was drained and turned to Sha Tin New Town...
, New TerritoriesNew TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
. - Chan Mong Kip, age 31, body found in a rice bag near Tai Hang RoadTai Hang RoadTai Hang Road is a major road on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Starting low from Tai Hang at Tung Lo Wan Road, Causeway Bay, it winds up to So Kon Po and further up to the mid-levels of Jardine's Lookout and Mount Nicholson, passing through Wong Nai Chung Gap...
, Hong Kong Island. - Leung Sau-wan, female, age unknown, body found in a rice bag near Tai Hang RoadTai Hang RoadTai Hang Road is a major road on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Starting low from Tai Hang at Tung Lo Wan Road, Causeway Bay, it winds up to So Kon Po and further up to the mid-levels of Jardine's Lookout and Mount Nicholson, passing through Wong Nai Chung Gap...
, Hong Kong Island. - Leung Wai-sum, female, age 17, body found in a rice bag near Tai Hang RoadTai Hang RoadTai Hang Road is a major road on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Starting low from Tai Hang at Tung Lo Wan Road, Causeway Bay, it winds up to So Kon Po and further up to the mid-levels of Jardine's Lookout and Mount Nicholson, passing through Wong Nai Chung Gap...
, Hong Kong Island.
Popular culture
Lam Kor-wan is portrayed by Hong Kong actor Simon YamSimon Yam
Simon Yam Tat-Wah , born March 19, 1955, is a Hong Kong actor and film producer.-Background:The son of a former police officer of Shangdong heritage, his father was a Hong Kong Royal Police ship captain who was murdered by his colleague....
in the movie Doctor Lamb (1992).
Lam was later portrayed by Lawrence Ng
Lawrence Ng
Lawrence Ng Kai Wah is a popular TV actor in Hong Kong. His more famous works include the television series Healing Hands and the films Fate Twisters and Sex and Zen.-Career:...
in a more fictional light in the 1994 film The Underground Banker in which Lam, now released from prison is a reformed Buddhist who is friendly and helpful to his neighbour and only returns to his psychotic killing state to help his neighbour take revenge on Triads who raped, murdered or maimed most of his family.
The 1999 film Trust me U Die is sometimes known by the alternate title The New Dr. Lamb, but has no connection to Lam Kor-Wan or the previous film except that both star Simon Yam.