Officers scammed Buddhist teacher, court hears
A founder of the Buddhist school at the University of Hong Kong was among 19 drivers asked to pay compensation to two off-duty policemen after the officers deliberately rammed a vehicle into their cars, a court heard.
Venerable Sik Hin Hung, 53, testified yesterday at the District Court trial of constables Ng Chun-ming, 33, and Hui Man-tai, 30, who allegedly conspired to crash a vehicle and fraudulently claim compensation from drivers.
The monk said he was driving in Ma Tau Wai Road, To Kwa Wan, on June 27 last year when a car hit the back of his vehicle as he was slowing to take a left turn. He said the driver of the other car told him the incident was his [Sik Hin Hung's] fault. 'I wanted to settle the matter and we started to negotiate,' he told Judge Colin Mackintosh, and both parties agreed on a sum of HK$1,200. The monk said he was asked to sign a memorandum upon paying the money, on which he saw the driver's name written as 'Hui Man-tai'.
He told the judge he had paid up because no one had been hurt and he wanted to settle the issue.
Ng and Hui deny one count of conspiracy to defraud and an alternative count of conspiracy to steal.
They allegedly deceived drivers out of HK$25,900 between June 1, 2005, and February 17 last year by crashing cars from behind, using a Saab that Hui owned. They spent HK$18,276 repairing the damage to the Saab, the court has been told.
Prosecutor Robert Andrews had told the court that the constables, who were attached to Kowloon East Region traffic unit, had victimised 19 drivers after similar traffic accidents in various areas. Three drivers refused to pay.
The hearing continues today.
