A British ex-pat businessman and his partner were arrested today after their 15-year-old daughter, whose birth was never registered, plunged to her death from a Hong Kong skyscraper.
Nick Cousins, 58, managing director of insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson’s (JLT) Hong Kong office, and his Flipino partner, were being quizzed by police after their teenage daughter fell from their multi-mllion pound flat in the swish Repulse Bay enclave.
It has been claimed that the teenage girl’s birth, and that of her younger sister, were never registered and that neither were sent to school.
Both Mr Cousins and his partner were arrested on suspicion of ill-treating the girl. The teen fell from a luxury apartment in Hong Kong's exclusive 3 Repulse Bay Road
Mr Cousins was later released on bail as their mother, only named as Grace, was also questioned over allegedly over-staying her visa. It is unclear whether or not the woman is still in custody.
A spokesman for JLT said: “We can confirm our colleague Nick Cousins, the Managing Director of our Hong Kong Office, has suffered the loss of his eldest daughter in tragic circumstances.
"We are giving Nick our full support through this difficult time and he will be on extended compassionate leave until further notice.
"We are aware that the authorities are investigating a number of matters that have come to light in the wake of this tragic event, which has led to some unfortunate media speculation.
"As these are private matters, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further and we would ask that the family’s privacy is respected.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Nick and his family."
Mr Cousins’ LinkedIn profile says he has worked for the company since September 1994.
A police source claimed the girls did not have passports and were only educated at a private tuition centre.
The 15-year-old girl fell to her death early this morning after locking herself in a bathroom of the apartment in Hong Kong’s exclusive Repulse Bay Road.
The 21-storey apartment is one of the wealthy city's most prestigious addresses with luxury four-bedroom apartments selling for prices in the region of £7.5million each and rent for £8,000 a month upwards.
Police said investigations indicated the girl had been unhappy and fell to her death as her parents tried to unlock the door in the early hours today.
A security guard alerted police after finding her body.
A police spokeswoman said: "The security guard called the police and the girl was certified dead at the scene.
"Initial investigations showed there were no suspicious circumstances and she was suspected to have fallen from a height.
"We arrested a 53-year-old Filipino female for overstaying and a 58-year-old British male for aiding and abetting an over-stayer.
"Both have also been arrested for suspected ill-treatment of the girl and are currently being detained while the investigation is impending.
"Our investigations indicate the girl was unhappy with her life."
The younger sister is understood to be being looked after by her father’s friends.
Police sources say the 15-year-old was watching television in the apartment’s master bedroom while her parents watched TV in the living room shortly before the tragedy.
Her mother allegedly found her locked in the bathroom of the toilet of the master bedroom and she fell from the window as her parents tried to force open the door, the source claimed.
An expat said Mr Cousins met his partner after arriving in Hong Kong.
He said: "Nick came out here alone and met Grace a little while after arriving. I heard he met her at a bar in town on an evening out and they quickly became an item."
Another expat described Mr Cousins as down to earth, decent and “not the Hong Kong Club type.”
“He isn’t a hooray Henry at all like so many of the expats in top jobs Hong Kong. He’s more of an Essex boy type who worked his way up the corporate ladder and is just very bright and very good at what he does.
“I would see him at parties around town with Jardines executives but I rarely saw her out with him. If she was there, she would keep in the background.
"He’s just a very nice guy and has no airs about him.
"I did see them out and about as a family in Repulse Bay at weekends.
School attendance is mandatory in Hong Kong but officials generally take a laxer approach with expat residents and rarely check up on them.
Some expats home-school their children without official permission.
The girls appeared to have a wide circle of friends among the city’s well-to-do expat community.
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