Hong Kong police officer charged over theft of HK$56,000 from wallet at city’s airport
- Constable Fung Yik-kwan accused of stealing cash and credit cards in February last year
A Hong Kong policeman accused of stealing more than HK$50,000 (US$6,450) was charged with theft on Wednesday.
Constable Fung Yik-kwan, 28, appeared in Sha Tin Court 15 months after he was arrested in connection with the crime at Hong Kong International Airport.
According to court documents, Fung, who has been suspended by the force, stole a wallet from the airport’s reporting centre on February 13 last year.
The wallet contained HK$56,090 in cash along with several bank cards, credit cards and electronic cash cards.
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Fung was arrested and detained by police the next day but was not immediately charged.
In court, prosecutors said they were ready to take a plea from the defendant, but Fung applied for an adjournment so he could hire a lawyer.
Acting principal magistrate Daniel Tang Siu-hung granted Fung HK$5,000 bail, but barred him from leaving Hong Kong and ordered him to report to the airport police station three times a week. The case will be heard again on June 10.
Theft carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but is capped at two years in magistrates’ courts.
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