15 sentenced over fraudulent scheme
Fifteen operators of a fraudulent London silver investment scheme, which attracted 51 victims to invest a total of HK$13.5 million, were sentenced in the District Court yesterday by Judge Albert Wong Sung-hau on charges of conspiracy to defraud. Eight were jailed from eight to 32 months, six received eight-month jail terms suspended for two years, and one was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.
The defendants - Lam Wai-shuen, Wong Kwok-leung, Yeung Chi-ping, Chu Ho-yin, Tsang Man-chun, Chan Kin-kei, Chu-Po-ying, Lam Chun-man, Tsang Pui-yee, Wong Kwok-yan, Fung Chor-sam, Wong Siu-chung, Ken Chan Kwok-sun, Lai Mei-ling and Chow Chun-lung, aged from 23 to 51 - were found guilty of operating the fraud scheme by setting up three companies in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui between August 1998 and February 2000. Victims were persuaded to invest in London silver trading and would then be told they had lost all their money.
Worker burned in fuel tank blast
A worker was in critical condition in Queen Mary Hospital last night after suffering serious burns in an apparent gas blast in an underground fuel tank at Pok Fu Lam Fire Station in Aberdeen. The 40-year-old man was working at the entrance of the tank and a colleague was welding outside when the blast occurred about 3.30pm. A Fire Services Department spokesman said the 5,000-litre tank had been emptied before the repair work began about a week ago. The Labour Department is investigating.
search fails to find missing hiker
