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Chris Lau

A sergeant who stole HK$1.07 million from a police safe and then fled to Macau to try to win his way out of debt, was jailed for two years on Monday.
Prosecutor Vincent Lee told District Court that Cheung Wai-lun, 43, responsible for looking after bail money at the Wan Chai Police Station, had made off with the cash on May 2.
After arriving in Macau, Cheung contacted his colleague and informed him where to find the key to the safe. The colleague only discovered the money had been taken after opening the safe.
Cheung, meanwhile, headed for the casino floor, hoping to use the stolen money to win enough to repay a HK$1.01 million debt, which he had accumulated with several financial institutions, the court heard.
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But Cheung lost everything in the space of a month.
“He spent the HK$1.07 million on gambling in casinos and eventually lost all the money within one month,” the prosecutor said.
Cheung later crossed from Macau to Zhuhai, China, expecting Macau authorities to stop him. But after being allowed to cross the border, he surrendered to mainland authorities.
In mitigation, Cheung’s solicitor Susan Liang said her client had made a “momentary lapse of judgment”, which was provoked by the idea that he could clear his debts overnight.
Cheung and his ex-wife, who divorced him in August following his arrest, accumulated the debt from 2009, the court heard.
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While his ex-wife was responsible for at least HK$200,000 of the debt, he was responsible for the remainder. Gambling and a failed investment were listed as the main causes.
The lawyer urged the court to consider that the sergeant, who had been awarded 33 commendations, had thrown away his career and effectively lost his family.
She argued that Cheung would also lose his HK$2 million pension, so the theft should therefore be considered as a form of restitution. But Judge Eddie Yip Chor-man quickly rejected the lawyer’s argument.
Cheung pled guilty to one count of theft before being sentenced on Monday.
“It is a pitiable fall from grace,” Yip told the defendant. The judge added that Cheung, an experienced officer of the law, would have foreseen such a result.


Hong Kong police sergeant jailed for fleeing to Macau with HK$1.07 million in bail money to clear own debts

A District Court judge sentenced a decorated police sergeant to two years jail for stealing HK$1.07 million from bail money safe. Photo: Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Officer pleads guilty to theft and imprisoned for two years after taking cash from Wan Chai Police Station safe


Hong Kong police sergeant jailed for fleeing to Macau with HK$1.07 million in bail money to clear own debts

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Officer pleads guilty to theft and imprisoned for two years after taking cash from Wan Chai Police Station safe

Officer pleads guilty to theft and imprisoned for two years after taking cash from Wan Chai Police Station safe