Thief with fetish for stealing from Cathay Pacific flight attendants given 32 months in jail

A serial thief with a fetish for targeting the belongings of Cathay Pacific flight attendants was sentenced to 32 months in jail at the District Court on Wednesday.

Leung Chun-man, 30, who had pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft and one of blackmail, earlier admitted he had stolen various items – including name tags, uniforms and money – from five flight attendants in the past three years.

The court heard at a previous hearing that Leung suffered from "fetishism", which prompted the judge to request a medical report before sentencing.

The court was told that most of the offences were committed on bus routes terminating at Hong Kong International Airport, such as the E22 and E23 buses.

Noting that Leung committed three of the offences while on police bail, Deputy Judge Ernest Lin Kam-hung said: “In my view, it is a blatant disregard of the law.”

Aside from flight attendants, the court had also heard earlier that Leung snatched a wallet containing HK$280 and personal documents from a ground control worker, who left them unattended at a check-in counter. A tourist had her handbag stolen by Leung along with US$900 (HK$6,975) and 4,000 Russian roubles (HK$613).

Lin slammed Leung for committing the crime out of “financial gain and perversity”, saying the offences had been far from “a momentary lapse of judgment”.