Hong Kong police sergeant jailed for nearly 2 years after using stolen credit cards to buy smartphones, fast food
- Suspended officer Johnny Lau admitted stealing two credit cards from a colleague, saying he did so to ‘relieve stress’ after a promotion
- Lau was found to have used the credit cards to pay at three different McDonald’s branches, and to buy three iPhones worth HK$9,899 each
A Hong Kong police sergeant has been jailed for nearly two years for buying smartphones and McDonald’s meals using two credit cards he admitted to stealing from his colleague to “relieve stress”.
Sentencing Johnny Lau Chun-ning at the District Court on Friday, Judge Katherine Lo Kit-yee rejected the defence’s contention that the accused did not consider the legal consequences of the crime, which took place just one month after he was promoted from constable in January 2019.
The judge accepted, however, that the 35-year-old had difficulty adjusting to his new rank, and was under work- and family-related stress when he committed the offences.
Lau, who has been suspended, first stole the credit card of his colleague Leung Lok-lun at Sheung Shui police station in mid-February two years ago after the latter left his wallet in an open locker while out on duty.
Leung found the lost card had been inserted back into his wallet on February 25, three days after he received a replacement for it. He terminated the new card on March 4.
But when the victim checked his wallet again two days later, he found the original card had been switched out for the new one he had just cancelled.
Police later found that Lau had used the two credit cards to pay at three different McDonald’s branches, and to buy three iPhones worth HK$9,899 (US$1,269) each.