Six in Hong Kong attempted jewellery heist plead guilty to charge of conspiracy to rob
- Four mainland Chinese were caught with weapons in September 2017 after police observed them staking out Tsim Sha Tsui watch shop
- Two drivers from Hong Kong were also arrested
Six men who were caught before they could use knives and stun guns to rob a Hong Kong watch shop that stocked HK$50 million (US$6.38 million) worth of timepieces pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in court on Thursday.
The High Court heard that police acted on intelligence and watched the defendants carry out reconnaissance of Champagne Court in Tsim Sha Tsui on six occasions before blowing their cover on the day of the planned robbery, September 18, 2017.
The shop targeted in the building was Union Classic Watch, which at the time had 2,000 watches on the premises, the most expensive being a Richard Mille, valued at HK$1.9 million. The shop also had a safe holding HK$3 million in cash.
The planned robbery involved four mainlanders who were smuggled into the city by boat on September 15, 2017 after a man they could identify only as Ah Kwun recruited them in Shenzhen and offered them a job in Hong Kong.
Seven men arrested for HK$10 million robbery in Tsim Sha Tsui
The four were picked up by two Hongkongers, who paid their living expenses and later drove them to Champagne Court for reconnaissance.
All were arrested on their sixth trip, when police found the four mainlanders lurking outside the watch shop in duckbill caps.
Body searches found the men were equipped with long knives, stun guns, gloves, plastic ties, gaffer tape and torches.
The six are driver Chan Chiu-wing, 34, construction worker Chow Siu-man, 35, renovation worker Gu Xiangjun, 35, carpenter Hu Lanqing, 44, casual worker Liu Meng, 33, and Hao Guichen, 52, who was unemployed.
Liu later told police that he was hired on the mainland to rob a shop in Hong Kong. The plan was to be carried out on September 17 but was postponed to the following night because there were too many passers-by in the vicinity of the shop.
Hu revealed that Chow had instructed him to use the knives to threaten the shop assistants before tying them up.
On Thursday, Chan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to rob.
His co-defendants had pleaded guilty earlier on August 20 last year to one joint count of the same charge.
Tsim Sha Tsui – the shoppers’ and robbers’ paradise in Hong Kong
The offence is punishable by life imprisonment.
In mitigation, their defence counsel argued the men were only “foot soldiers” following instructions to carry out reconnaissance and take the weapons, which they did not use.
The lawyers also emphasised that their clients had cooperated with the police by not resisting arrest and offering useful information to the investigation.
In a letter to the court, Liu said that he was tempted to accept the job offer because he was under financial pressure to support his family.
Hao also wrote a letter expressing his deep remorse, with his counsel adding that he had taken part in the crime out of foolishness.
Mr Justice Patrick Li Hon-leung will hear further mitigation on April 25.
