Yang Zhen Xing and his girlfriend Zhou Xi, both 25, had 233,690 pounds pass through their bank accounts but there was no sign of the cash

Yang Zhen Xing and his girlfriend Zhou Xi, both 25, had 233,690 pounds pass through their bank accounts but there was no sign of the cash when their bodies were found, Newcastle Crown Court heard.<br />Cao Guang Hui, 30, denies murdering the couple after robbing them, perhaps with others, last August.<br />Zhou, known as Cici, and Yang, also called Kevin, had mobile phones and a laptop computer taken from their ground floor flat.<br />The level of violence used was not even remotely necessary to take those items, according to prosecution lawyer Robert Smith.<br />The court heard that Yang made a living from selling false educational certificates and from his involvement in a fraudulent Internet betting scam.His declared annual income was just 3,000 pounds while his girlfriend earned 14,000 pounds a year as a waitress, but police found hundreds of thousands of pounds passed through their bank accounts.Yet when officers searched the murder scene, they found just 10 pounds. It was unclear whether cash was stolen on the day, the court heard.Zhou came to Britain as a student in June 2005, and her boyfriend arrived in 2003 to study English and accounting in Cardiff, Wales. They met in Newcastle.<br />Zhou was found face down on a bed in their flat with her wrists bound with tape and towelling stuffed into her mouth that caused her to suffocate. She was also hit over the head with a heavy weapon, possibly a hammer.Yang was found in the other bedroom, having been hit with a hammer in the face and head. His throat was slashed despite already being unconscious.Smith said the wound may have been to accelerate Yang's death, and the head injuries inflicted on Cici were done to ensure she died also.<br />After the murders, Cao changed his clothes and stole three mobile phones and a laptop, the court heard. The phones were found dumped nearby and when examined, revealed contact between him and the couple.The court heard Cao, who came to Britain in 2001 to study English and followed the trial with the help of a translator, pretended to want to sub-let a room in their flat.Cao was arrested and Yang's blood was found on his glasses. More blood was found in his watch, the jury heard.<br />The case continues.

Yang Zhen Xing and his girlfriend Zhou Xi, both 25, had 233,690 pounds pass through their bank accounts but there was no sign of the cash

Yang Zhen Xing and his girlfriend Zhou Xi, both 25, had 233,690 pounds pass through their bank accounts but there was no sign of the cash wh...

Read more »