Entrepreneur received demand for HK$1m 'to protect his children from gangsters'
A mainlander demanded HK$1.02 million to protect the family of a local entrepreneur from gangsters he said had been paid to attack his children, a court heard yesterday.
The demand was delivered in a letter to the tycoon, who was identified in court only as Mr X, by Zou Jinyu, who admitted in the District Court yesterday that he made up the story to swindle money.
Zou, 29, was caught on March 15 in a police sting near the entrepreneur's office in Sheung Wan, where he met undercover agents posing as company staff. He pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to obtain money by deception and denied a charge of blackmail, which the prosecution decided to drop.
Defence barrister Jackson Poon said Zou was inspired by Hong Kong action movies and committed the offence out of greed and naivety.
'Zou apologises to [the tycoon],' he said.