Housekeeper found dead at bottom of Hong Kong waterfall ‘was hit by hard object’ as Brit held for ‘murder’

THE housekeeper found dead at the bottom of a Hong Kong waterfall was reportedly hit by a hard object - as a Brit has been charged with her murder.

Cops arrested Jamie Chapman after Mevi Novitasari, 25, was found dead in the pool of water on Hong Kong island on Monday.

Novitasari and Chapman had an affair, reports the South China Morning Post, and were at the top of the waterfall together at about 11pm on Sunday.

On Monday morning, Novitasari was found floating dead with injuries between two and four centimetres long on her forehead and the back of her head.

An autopsy shows she was hit by a hard object and then drowned in the water, reports HK01.

Cops say the business owner inspected her dead body in the pool below the waterfall - before leaving the area just 30 minutes after first arriving.

One witness claimed that Chapman was ending the relationship with Novitasari, who was not his employee.

They told the Hong Kong newspaper: "They took a taxi to the park, where the man asked to break up with her.

"But the woman became emotionally agitated and suddenly jumped off the waterfall."

Chapman never reported her death to the authorities and instead fled to mainland China with his wife - taking the high-speed train to Guangzhou.

When police identified Chapman as a suspect they went to his resident in Ap Lei Chau and found he was not there.

The couple were caught and arrested on Tuesday at a high-speed railway station after returning to Hong Kong.

She was identified from her slippers and her phone.

The 34-year-old was charged with murder while his wife was arrested on suspicion of aiding a criminal before being let go.

Chapman made his first court appearance Friday where he did not enter a plea and his lawyer did not request bail.

The judge adjourned the case to January to give time for further investigation.

Pictured for the first time, he was seen in a red shirt and sweater, sitting in the back of a police vehicle.

Police superintendent Sin Kwok-ming said Novitasari's clothes remained untouched, possibly ruling out a physical altercation.

Sin said that the Brit was suspected because of his behaviour, and because he did not report the incident.

The official said: “A lot of things about him were unreasonable.

“[...] Some evidence had also disappeared for no reason.

“All these circumstances suggest that this is not a case of natural death."

The Indonesian consulate said it will help repatriate Novitasari's body back to Cilacap, in central Java.

According to local media, Chapman and his Hong Kong wife settled in the city after marrying, where they ran a coffee shop together.

The Brit is believed to be originally from London and graduated from Loughborough University in 2011 before moving to Hing Kong.