British man guilty of murdering Chinese girlfriend
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A British barman has been found guilty of murder after beating his Chinese girlfriend to death last August at their flat in Cardiff, the BBC reported on Saturday.
The judge also remanded Matthews in custody for sentencing next Tuesday.
The victim, 24-year-old Bi Xixi, was attacked by Jordan Matthews and suffered a broken jaw, ribs and widespread bruising. She died in hospital after a cardiac arrest.
According to the BBC report, Matthews, a black belt in karate and a cannabis user, said he did not think the incident had been bad enough to cause the injuries. He admitted manslaughter but denied murder.
But the crown court in Cardiff Crown found him guilty.
Pathologist Dr Ryk James told the court that the assault upon Bi was severe and involved dozens of impacts.
"She had died as a result of the multiple blunt force injuries," said the doctor.
The court also heard he regularly beat her and called her "worthless" as well as a weapon similar to a steel rod was used in the attack.
Matthews said he hit her because he believed she had cheated on him and he felt "insecure" when Bi visited her family back to China.
He suspected his girlfriend was in touch with someone named "Ben" on the Tinder dating app. But both the prosecution and the defence agreed that Bi did not have the app, nor contact with anyone of that name.
Bi grew up in Nanjing, in China, but travelled to the UK to study when she was 15.
She was a post-graduate student at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Her friend said she was smart and nice, and able to speak English, French, and Spanish. Her relationship with Matthews, a barman in a pub, started in 2015.
Bi financially supported Matthews by paying his rent and buying life's necessities for him.
Bi's friends said she wore thick makeup to cover bruising on her face.
In a statement following the verdict Bi's family described her as an "intelligent and energetic person who had a very bright future and her whole life in front of her".
Cardiff Metropolitan University said they were offering support to students and staff affected by her death.
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