Hard-core gambler jailed for 7 years 10 months over theft of HK$25m of jewellery from aunt
A hard-core gambler who admitted stealing more than HK$25 million of jewellery from his aunt’s shop to feed his betting habit was jailed for seven years and 10 months in Hong Kong’s High Court this morning.
A hard-core gambler who admitted stealing more than HK$25 million of jewellery from his aunt’s shop to feed his betting habit was jailed for seven years and 10 months in Hong Kong’s High Court this morning.
Li Kwok-hin, 41, said he began betting only after his parents’ divorce five years ago, and had never gambled prior to that.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of theft for stealing 276 pieces of jewellery from his aunt Christy Tung Ng Ling-ling’s company, Emperor Jade, where he worked as a manager.
“This is of course a serious breach of trust case,” Deputy Judge Madam Justice Susana D’Almada Remedios said. “Your aunt had given you an offer and you did not treasure the job.”
Defence lawyer John Hemmings said Li had never been involved in any trouble before, until his parents separated and divorced in 2010.
“This case is unusual. Prior to that, [Li] has never gambled,” Hemmings said.
He cited a psychiatrist’s diagnosis this year that found Li had been exhibiting symptoms of a major depression disorder and a gambling disorder since 2011.
Li’s was the typical gambler’s story, Hemmings said, as he started out in soccer and horse racing and raked in his gains at the beginning.
But he soon began losing money, and the more he tried to recoup his losses, the more he lost. He then started to steal from Tung, a socialite and former chairwoman of the Yan Chai Hospital board.
Prosecutor Andrew Cheng said Ng entrusted Li with the vault’s keys and password.
An accountant of Emperor Jade noticed in November 2012 that 160 pieces of jewellery were missing. Li claimed he had used the items for business purposes but never returned them to the shop.
The accountants conducted comprehensive checks of the stock in June 2013 and found more than 200 items missing.
Upon questioning by them, Li confessed he had been stealing and pawning the jewellery since 2011. He was dismissed by the company and arrested on June 24, 2013.
The 276 jewellery items included rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, watches and diamonds, with a total purchase price of HK$25,466,044.
Li pawned most of the jewellery, receiving about HK$7.7 million in return.
Tung’s son spent HK$1.5 million to redeem 69 pieces from pawnshops. Another 11 pieces were recovered from pawnshops and from Li.
