Jail for trying to steal pipe
Four mainlanders who sneaked into Hong Kong to collect recyclable goods to sell back home were jailed for six months yesterday.
Liang Zhaoxiang, Liang Runxiang, Liang Linsheng and Wu Jingyuan, aged 35 to 38, were caught when they tried to take an iron water pipe belonging to the government from an abandoned island off Lantau on Tuesday.
They pleaded guilty in Eastern Court to attempted theft and illegally remaining in Hong Kong. Police spotted them acting suspiciously on Tai Ah Chau. When approached they rushed to board a boat docked at a nearby pier, dropping the pipe.
Defence lawyer Thomas Yip said the men had only entered Hong Kong to collect waste they could sell and did not intend to commit theft. There had been no loss to the government, he added.
Principal Magistrate Ian Candy sentenced the four to six-month jail terms for illegally remaining in Hong Kong and two months concurrently for attempted theft.
