Suspect denies aiding robbers
A GANG of robbers was directed to an ''easy target'' by a 61-year-old man, the High Court heard yesterday.
Graeme Mackay, prosecuting, said the holdup took place in an antique watch shop in Wellington Street, Central, on July 11, 1991.
Wan King-leung, also known as Wan Man, denies robbery and is being tried by a jury before Mr Justice Leong.
The shop, hidden away on the mezzanine floor of a building, was used by dealers for trading in watches. It opened only between noon and 2.30 pm, Mr Mackay said.
On the day of the holdup, said counsel, 11 dealers and customers were in the shop when three men, one armed with a pistol-like object, entered. The customers were tied up and the gang escaped with valuables and cash totalling $285,000.
While Wan was not one of the robbers, it was the Crown's case that without his assistance the robbery would not have occurred.
Mr Mackay said that one of the robbers, Ko Chi-yin, who had already pleaded guilty to the robbery, would give evidence for the Crown against Wan.
The court heard that Ko is expected to testify that the gang was looking for a vulnerable and easy target to rob. Wan suggested the shop in Wellington Street.
