Last Week in Reality

Sat 04

Busted Scammer An elderly woman in a wheelchair is confronted by a group of policemen in Tuen Mun. The woman is notorious for getting into taxis and then saying that she has forgotten her purse, offering hand-written IOUs in lieu of payment. If the driver refuses to let her in the car, she threatens to report them to the Transport Department. A driver will not accept the IOUs and she calls the policemen over, who tell her that cab drivers need to make a living and pay their bills. One green cab driver says that she has been doing this for several years, and she is well known in the area.

Sun 05

Student Loans A 40-year-old secondary school teacher files a police report after having wired more than $1 million over two years to a former student, who claimed he was using the money to invest in the London Gold Exchange for the teacher's retirement. The student, who has known the teacher for 10 years, “helped” the teacher buy gold for $300,000, then opened an investment account for a further $750,000. The teacher later asked to close the account, but the student found excuses not to. The investment company said the account did not actually exist. A police investigation is ongoing.

Mon 06

Hair Cutting A shirtless and inebriated 39-year-old man goes to a hairdresser in the Long Ping Market a little after 9am, holding two cans of beer and a foot-long knife wrapped in a towel. He places the knife on the counter and asks the hairdresser for a cut and dye. A security guard at the market notices his knife and calls the police. By the time the police arrive, the hairdresser has finished the haircut. The police arrest him before he can pay the $130 bill. The hairdresser says the man is a regular, and often comes by to start trouble while drunk.

Tue 07

Trolley Thief At around 2pm in Tsim Sha Tsui's China Hong Kong City, a man leaves a hand trolley at the entrance to a Kee Wah bakery and walks inside to shop. Upon exiting the shop he finds that the trolley, which contains jewelry, gems and gold worth $6.13 million, is gone. CCTV footage shows a man wearing a cap and a medical mask walking off with the trolley. Police are investigating the case but are unable to speculate on why the man left the trolley unattended.

Wed 08

Night Rider At around midnight in Aberdeen, a 50-year-old expat is found on top of the double-decker 90B bus bound for South Horizons. A passenger tells the driver that a man is making noises on the roof, but the driver dismisses it as a joke. Another passenger also reports the incident, and the driver stops at the Ap Lei Chau Drive station and discovers the man holding on to the roof. He climbs down with the help of a rubbish bin, saying that he is drunk and cannot remember where or how he got on to the roof. Police send him to the hospital for examination.

Thu 09

Fire Escape At around 5am, a 25-year-old lovelorn man petulantly sets fire to a pile of newspapers in his 22nd-floor flat. The fire spreads. The man climbs out of his kitchen window on to the water pipes outside the building, making his way down to the 17th floor before being discovered. The man continues climbing down to the 13th floor, where firemen pull him back into the building and take him to safety. The police arrest him and discover illicit drugs in his flat.

Fri 10

Bus Rage During Typhoon Linfa, a man waits to take the 276A from Tin Shui Wai to Sheung Shui. After about five minutes he bangs on the window of the bus office, demanding to know when the next bus will depart. The drivers say that due to the No. 8 typhoon the schedule has been modified. He storms into the office and drags a driver outside, pushing him and another driver to the ground. He slaps the second man in the face, causing him to faint, before leaving.