Man set fire to tax office out of revenge

The coin-laundry owner who set a fire inside Revenue Tower last year was acting out of revenge against the tax collector, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday.

Wu Kin-ping, 51, had been scheduled to face trial, but instead pleaded guilty to arson for setting the blaze on October 2, which forced the evacuation of 600 people from the building on Gloucester Road in Wan Chai.

Wu will be sentenced by Deputy High Court Judge Colin Mackintosh later this month. He could face as much as seven years in jail, less a standard one-third reduction for the guilty plea.

After he was arrested, Wu told police that he set the blaze because 'the Inland Revenue Department had taken all my money', according to a summary of facts.

His apparent revenge against the tax collector started shortly before 10am when he arrived at the Inland Revenue office carrying a paper bag.

Wu pulled out a bottle of flammable liquid and poured it all over an office counter before setting it ablaze. Two tax employees shouted 'fire' as the office filled with smoke, the summary of facts said.