Dublin man convicted of wife’s cruise ship murder by Italian court

A Dublin resident accused of killing his wife on a cruise ship has been convicted by an Italian court – and given a 26 year jail term. But the lawyer for German national Daniel Belling – who denies murdering his missing wife Xing-Li (38) while they were on a Mediterranean cruise in February 2017 – last night told The Mirror his client was not in jail and wasn’t even in Italy.

“He is not in Italy, he was not extradited,” Luigi Conti told us last night – hours after a court in Rome found Mr Belling guilty of killing Xing-Li

The court of Assizes declared Mr Belling, who was last known to be living in Coolock, north Dublin, guilty of killing Xing-Li, even though her body has never been found. The court imposed a 26 year jail term in Mr Belling’s absence – even though state prosecutors had asked for him to be locked up for 24.

Speaking to us from Rome, Mr Conti said the court of assizes was a lower court in Italy – and there were still two other hoops for the legal case to go through before the sentence was finalised. “That will take years,” Mr Conti said last night. And he added that the process was continuing.

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And when asked if Mr Belling was still in Dublin, Mr Conti said he did not know where he was. Mr Belling did not respond to calls and texts from us last night.

Mr Belling is accused of voluntary homicide as well as the destruction of a body in relation to the disappearance of his wife in the sea off the Italian port of Civitavecchia in 2017.

The indictment by the state accuses Mr Belling of “causing the death of his wife , who was travelling with him and two young children and in order to achieve impunity for the crime just committed, he disposed of the corpse, hiding it or otherwise causing its destruction.”

Mr Belling has always maintained his innocence. And two years ago he told us: “I am not a killer.”

Mr Belling has in the past stated he believed his wife fled the cruise ship and went to China – but speaking to us in 2022 he said he now believes she is dead.

“No, I don’t think so,” Mr Belling responded when asked if he believed his wife was still alive.

“She would not have left the children like this. Why would she not come back? It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

Mr Belling, Ms Xing and their two children boarded cruise ship MSC Magnifica in the Italian port of Civitavecchia on February 9, 2017 – but later crew members noticed that she was missing when they did a head count. Mr Belling, who spent 14 months on remand in an Italian prison before he was released and returned to Ireland in 2018, told us he believes his wife could have been killed because she had information someone didn’t want out.

“I think (someone) may have killed her. Maybe she knew something. I don’t know, she just said on the cruise ‘I will be back, I need to do some business. She had said that to me earlier before too so I was just like ok. That was the day before,” he said.

But later in our conversation Mr Belling suggested his wife had psychological issues – and this could have played a part.

“I think she was depressive in her anger management issues so I think it’s something psychological also,” he said. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t come back. Like, is she in a coma maybe?”

Asked how he was coping with the disappearance of his wife and if he was upset, Mr Belling said he was, but is no longer. “It was (upsetting). But not anymore,” he said.

He also said that he doesn’t know how to respond to those who may believe he murdered his wife. “I don’t know what to say to that,” he said. But he said people cannot make their own judgement when he says the full facts of what happened are not out there.

“One cannot have an opinion about any court case where one is not involved. That stupid prosecutor in Italy, she’s responsible the children being without anyone and being in an orphanage while I was in prison for 14 months for nothing. They don’t have any evidence. I think it’s a career move,” he claimed.

We then asked him whether he would fight any European Arrest Warrant that could potentially be issued for him. “Of course. I have no intention of going to jail. It would be unjust. Crazy,” he said.

In August last year, Mr Belling was spared a jail sentence when he appeared before Dublin’s Circuit Court and had pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly inducing the Bank of Ireland to providing a mortgage loan of €112,500 on 13 March 2014. On five other occasions, Belling used false documents on dates between July 1, 2013 and January 27, 2015 to attempt to apply for loans.

Mr Belling claimed in court that his wife was behind the scheme – though presiding judge Martin Nolan said he would take that explanation “with a pinch of salt.” Mr Belling insisted that he was telling the truth – though he admits he cannot prove it, given the fact that his wife is missing.

“I stand by that, yes. But how can I prove that? That is why the judge said he took it with a pinch of salt,” he said.

But he said he was grateful to the judge for sparing him a jail sentence. “I am grateful. I am really happy, especially for the kids. It has been very difficult to organise things.”

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