https://www.scmp.com/rss/318211/feed The latest news from Hong Kong's courts, legislative issues, crime and legal. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has acquitted a former senior manager at a major Chinese cryptocurrency exchange of secretly moving about US$5 million in Tether stablecoins, worth around HK$39 million, to his own accounts six years ago. A seven-member High Court jury on Friday found Chen Boliang, who used to work at cryptocurrency firm Huobi – now known as HTX – not guilty of accessing its platform to trade in so-called dark pools under an individual account he created with an alias between February 27 and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351270/ex-manager-crypto-firm-huobi-acquitted-moving-millions-tether-account?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351270/ex-manager-crypto-firm-huobi-acquitted-moving-millions-tether-account?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:24:23 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Hong Kong police have arrested nine people over their alleged involvement in a travel insurance fraud syndicate that staged overseas accidents to claim more than HK$1.7 million (US$217,053). The force said on Thursday it had received a report from the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers in October concerning suspicious travel insurance claims, ranging from “a few thousand to tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars”. “Police analysed more than 70 suspicious claim cases and discovered that these... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351121/hong-kong-police-arrest-9-over-hk17-million-fake-travel-insurance-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351121/hong-kong-police-arrest-9-over-hk17-million-fake-travel-insurance-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:36:02 +0000 Jess Ma,Brian Wong Jess Ma,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The role of Hong Kong’s fire service remained under the spotlight on the 18th day of evidential hearings held by an independent committee investigating the catastrophic blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court. Three officers from the Fire Services Department testified on Thursday before the judge-led panel. Four of their colleagues gave accounts the previous day of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351068/tai-po-probe-very-rare-damage-found-fallen-firefighters-breathing-apparatus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351068/tai-po-probe-very-rare-damage-found-fallen-firefighters-breathing-apparatus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:11:58 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong The law of tort, from its Latin and Old French origin meaning “wrong”, saw a major development in Hong Kong at the beginning of this year. After years of debate in the lower courts, Hong Kong’s top court has made it clear that, with Sir Elly Kadoorie & Sons Limited v Samantha Jane Bradley [2026] HKCFA 2, harassment is now a recognised tort under common law. While it is described as a development, this was the last step of a recognition that was more than a decade in the making. The first High... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351055/being-annoying-not-just-annoyance-its-harassment-under-tort-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351055/being-annoying-not-just-annoyance-its-harassment-under-tort-law?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Families of victims who died in Hong Kong’s Lamma ferry disaster 13 years ago have filed an application for a judicial review against a coroner’s findings in an inquest, saying the conclusions showed irrationality and failed to weigh contradictory evidence. Four individuals lodged the application in the High Court on Wednesday. They acted without lawyers. They want the court to quash the coroner’s findings that a missing watertight door on the ill-fated Lamma IV ferry was a deliberate design... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351053/families-seek-review-coroners-findings-lamma-ferry-disaster-inquest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351053/families-seek-review-coroners-findings-lamma-ferry-disaster-inquest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:23:48 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong authorities have proposed new offences with tougher punishments for fire installation contractors who fail to obtain prior approval before deactivating firefighting systems or do not report malfunctions within 24 hours, following the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, the South China Morning Post has learned. Other proposed changes included drastically increasing the maximum penalty for existing offences related to the unauthorised handling of fire equipment and the issuance of false... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351039/tough-punishments-proposed-stop-unapproved-shutdown-firefighting-systems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351039/tough-punishments-proposed-stop-unapproved-shutdown-firefighting-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:30:20 +0000 Clifford Lo Clifford Lo Fraudsters have duped students studying abroad out of up to HK$1.5 million (US$191,531) each by accusing them of money laundering and luring them to Hong Kong to buy gold for bogus law-enforcement investigations, prompting a police warning. At least nine victims aged between 19 and 26, who are studying in the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries, have recently fallen prey to such cross-border impersonation scams, according to Hong Kong police. “Their losses ranged from HK$740,000 to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350861/scammers-trick-overseas-students-out-gold-fake-money-laundering-probes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350861/scammers-trick-overseas-students-out-gold-fake-money-laundering-probes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:30:13 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The Hong Kong government is seeking to confiscate HK$56.5 million (US$7.2 million) from former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s bank accounts and all of the shares in his 17 companies after he was jailed for 20 years under the national security law, court documents show. The secretary for justice applied to the High Court earlier this month to seize Lai’s assets linked to three conspiracies to instigate foreign sanctions and incite public hatred towards the authorities in 2019 and 2020. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350893/hong-kong-seeks-seize-hk565-million-17-companies-jailed-jimmy-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350893/hong-kong-seeks-seize-hk565-million-17-companies-jailed-jimmy-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:35:16 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have arrested a 16-year-old garage worker for allegedly driving without a licence after he lost control of a Tesla car and crashed into a parked vehicle, pushing the latter through a property agency’s storefront and leaving an employee injured. The force said on Monday that the teenager was believed to have been trying to drive the electric car out of the garage on Luk Mei Tsuen Road when he lost control and struck a seven-seater parked nearby. The boy had reportedly only... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350778/teen-driving-tesla-arrested-after-knocking-second-vehicle-through-storefront?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350778/teen-driving-tesla-arrested-after-knocking-second-vehicle-through-storefront?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:01:16 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A former kindergarten administrator at Hong Kong’s biggest international school group has been sentenced to 25 months in jail for accepting more than HK$640,000 (US$81,700) in bribes from 13 parents and a middleman to tamper with the admissions system. Fatima Rumjahn, 56, earlier admitted to accepting bribes ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 from parents eager to secure enrolment for their children at the English Schools Foundation’s (ESF) Wu Kai Sha International Kindergarten. At Monday’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3350700/esf-administrator-jailed-25-months-accepting-bribes-favour-applicants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3350700/esf-administrator-jailed-25-months-accepting-bribes-favour-applicants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:43:03 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu A 32-year-old man was found dead after being spotted floating in waters off a Hong Kong park, with police saying he had a record of mental illness. The force received a report at 6.37am on Monday that the body was floating two to three metres offshore near Tsing Yi Northeast Park on Tam Kon Shan Road. Firefighters recovered the man who was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death will be determined after an autopsy. No suicide note was found at the scene. If you have suicidal thoughts or... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350681/body-32-year-old-man-found-floating-hong-kong-park?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350681/body-32-year-old-man-found-floating-hong-kong-park?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:03:45 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The third set of public evidential hearings into the deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court began on Monday and concluded its 15th day of testimony in half a day. The sole witness to testify on the day, Jason Kong Cheung-fat, was re-elected into the owners’ corporation management committee as a member in September in 2024, when chairman Tang Kwok-kuen was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350661/tai-po-fire-probe-new-management-committee-failed-tackle-abuse-proxy-votes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350661/tai-po-fire-probe-new-management-committee-failed-tackle-abuse-proxy-votes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:46:01 +0000 Mike Rowse Mike Rowse Many Hongkongers would have been surprised last week that the government was postponing the introduction of basketball betting. It was only months ago that the bill had been enacted by the Legislative Council. So clearly it was a matter that fell within our high degree of autonomy. And the Hong Kong Jockey Club was known to be hard at work preparing for implementation. But listeners to RTHK’s Backchat programme in early February may have come away with an inkling that all might not be well.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350322/why-hong-kong-hitting-pause-basketball-betting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350322/why-hong-kong-hitting-pause-basketball-betting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung A Hong Kong woman has lost nearly HK$4.9 million (US$625,800) in three months after being cheated by bogus “investment experts” in an online scam. The victim was lured into contacting the scammers after seeing a post on social media advertising high-return stock investments, police said. She was then instructed to download an app via an online messaging service. Believing the scheme to be genuine, the victim transferred about HK$4.86 million in more than 40 transactions between January and April... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350584/hong-kong-woman-loses-hk49-million-bogus-online-investment-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350584/hong-kong-woman-loses-hk49-million-bogus-online-investment-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:13:27 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong Cantopop singer Keung To has urged the public to learn from his mistakes after he was fined HK$2,200 (US$280) for careless driving, running a red light and failing to display a probationary sign on his car while driving. Keung, a member of the popular boy band Mirror, also said on Saturday that the “P” sign might have fallen off and he was not aware of it until police told him. The 26-year-old singer, who reportedly obtained his probationary driving licence in February last year, was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350580/hong-kongs-mirror-star-keung-urges-public-learn-his-driving-mistakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350580/hong-kongs-mirror-star-keung-urges-public-learn-his-driving-mistakes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:12:27 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong’s food hygiene authorities have deployed drones to help dismantle an illegal slaughterhouse in Yuen Long, arresting its 67-year-old operator and seizing 7.4kg of goat meat and offal with an estimated market value of HK$3,000 (US$380). Acting on a tip-off earlier this week, officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department identified a suspicious farm in Kam Tin, Yuen Long. The unlicensed premises were allegedly used to keep and slaughter goats, with the meat to be sold in Kam... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350471/hong-kong-authorities-use-drones-help-raid-illegal-slaughterhouse-yuen-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350471/hong-kong-authorities-use-drones-help-raid-illegal-slaughterhouse-yuen-long?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:10:53 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hong Kong’s conservation officers will step up coordination with police to carry out joint operations to enter private premises when investigating suspected animal abuse, following an ombudsman’s report that found existing procedures ineffective. A lawmaker on Friday also backed strengthening collaboration rather than granting Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) staff the power to enter flats, noting that investigative expertise rested with police. Jackie Yip Yin, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3350433/hong-kong-strengthen-police-coordination-animal-abuse-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3350433/hong-kong-strengthen-police-coordination-animal-abuse-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:06:45 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li An 80-year-old Hong Kong man was stabbed in the leg near Cosco Tower on Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan on Friday morning. He sustained injuries to his left elbow and thigh after being attacked by a man wielding a knife. He was sent to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam for treatment. The case was reported to police at 11.17am. Officers investigated at the scene and are searching for the suspect. The motive for the attack is still unknown. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350428/elderly-man-stabbed-leg-attacker-knife-sheung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350428/elderly-man-stabbed-leg-attacker-knife-sheung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:50:15 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong customs has arrested seven people in a citywide crackdown on party rooms offering suspected illegal karaoke sets with songs that infringed copyright. The operation, code-named “Magpie”, took place between March 16 and Wednesday this week and involved more than 100 officers, who raided 14 party rooms, a bar and the homes of two online sellers. Ng Ka-chun, divisional commander of customs’ intellectual property technology crime investigation, said on Friday that authorities seized 28... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350419/7-arrested-crackdown-party-rooms-offering-copyright-infringing-karaoke-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350419/7-arrested-crackdown-party-rooms-offering-copyright-infringing-karaoke-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:02:16 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,Jeffie Lam Ng Kang-chung,Jeffie Lam Hong Kong police have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of snatching two commuters’ phones just as train doors were closing at separate MTR stations during rush hour. Police said on Friday that both thefts took place within 10 minutes of each other at two nearby stations. The first report came from a woman, aged 48, at around 8.15pm on Thursday, who told officers that her phone was grabbed by a man at Lai King station. About 10 minutes later, another woman reported that a man had also... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350393/hong-kong-police-hunt-suspect-over-phones-snatched-mtr-stations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350393/hong-kong-police-hunt-suspect-over-phones-snatched-mtr-stations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:11:29 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has suspended all contractors’ access to patient data after a major leak affecting more than 56,000 patients, and is considering barring the company involved from bidding for future projects. But the authority on Thursday declined to say whether it would terminate the firm’s existing contracts or discipline any staff, citing an ongoing police probe. The authority confirmed earlier this month that personal data of more than 56,000 patients at United Christian... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350360/hong-kongs-hospital-authority-bars-all-contractors-access-data-after-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350360/hong-kongs-hospital-authority-bars-all-contractors-access-data-after-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:40:49 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have arrested five people accused of stealing more than 445 items of clothing worth HK$113,000 (US$14,400) from multiple outlets of Japanese retail chain Muji. Officers from Yau Tsim police district said they had received a string of shoplifting reports since earlier this year that involved large quantities of apparel taken from a retail chain, with a source naming the business as Muji. The Japanese retail chain is known for its minimalist “no-brand quality goods”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350348/hong-kong-police-arrest-5-over-shoplifting-syndicate-targeting-muji-stores?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350348/hong-kong-police-arrest-5-over-shoplifting-syndicate-targeting-muji-stores?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:22:57 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong police have broken up a syndicate led by a beautician that allegedly stole credit cards from patrons of a beauty salon in Mong Kok, causing losses of more than HK$410,000 (US$52,347). The force said on Thursday that four men and two women, aged between 39 and 52, had been arrested over the past two days. One suspect was allegedly found with stolen credit cards in their possession at the time. Between last December and April, police received reports from 19 residents who claimed their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350273/hong-kong-police-bust-beautician-led-syndicate-behind-hk410000-credit-card-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350273/hong-kong-police-bust-beautician-led-syndicate-behind-hk410000-credit-card-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:22:48 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Nearly 1,800 young Hongkongers convicted of protest and national security-related offences have taken part in a rehabilitation programme, authorities have said, including 99 per cent of those found guilty over the 2019 unrest, up from 63 per cent in 2021. Responding to a question from lawmaker Chan Hok-fung, the Security Bureau said that 1,768 inmates had taken part in Project PATH as of the end of February. “According to observations and assessments made by correctional officers, Project PATH... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350265/hong-kong-reports-99-participation-young-2019-protest-convicts-rehab-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350265/hong-kong-reports-99-participation-young-2019-protest-convicts-rehab-project?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:50:45 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok A man snatched two Pokemon trading cards valued at about HK$28,000 (US$3,600) from a consignment shop in Hong Kong. The tenant of the shop at Sino Centre in Mong Kok reported the theft on Wednesday after reviewing security footage and discovering the man had taken the cards on April 5 before fleeing the scene. Police have classified the case as shop theft. The Mong Kok district criminal investigation team is handling the case. No arrests have been made so far. Officers are searching for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350221/hong-kong-police-hunt-man-behind-theft-2-pokemon-cards-worth-hk28000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350221/hong-kong-police-hunt-man-behind-theft-2-pokemon-cards-worth-hk28000?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:56:52 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police intercepted a Maserati on a busy street in Mong Kok on Wednesday and arrested two people in connection with a suspected money laundering case, the South China Morning Post has learned. A man and a woman in their twenties, their faces concealed by black hoods, were seen standing beside the luxury sports car as officers from the New Territories North regional headquarters searched the vehicle on Sai Yeung Choi Street South outside the Pakpolee Commercial Centre in the afternoon,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350207/hong-kong-police-intercept-maserati-arrest-2-over-suspected-money-laundering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350207/hong-kong-police-intercept-maserati-arrest-2-over-suspected-money-laundering?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:01:27 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. A judge-led panel investigating the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which killed 168 people in Tai Po, concluded its 12th day of evidential hearings on Wednesday. Representatives from the Fire Services Department and police testified before the independent committee looking into the Wang Fuk Court blaze and the systemic problems it revealed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350104/tai-po-probe-sees-ideal-progress-not-yet-time-commission-inquiry-chair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350104/tai-po-probe-sees-ideal-progress-not-yet-time-commission-inquiry-chair?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:28:27 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A resident of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po has said that a drawer in her flat had been rummaged through, prompting a police investigation and rekindling burglary fears in the sealed residential complex. Police launched the probe after a resident surnamed Lee raised concerns about a possible burglary early on Tuesday. A government social worker had sent her a photograph of her flat in Wang Cheong House the day before, which showed drawers and boxes that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350086/wang-fuk-court-resident-reports-suspected-theft-fire-hit-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350086/wang-fuk-court-resident-reports-suspected-theft-fire-hit-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:38:49 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong retiree has been jailed for a year under the domestic national security law over seditious remarks on social media, after suggesting that last year’s Wang Fuk Court fire could trigger unrest similar to the 2019 anti-government protests. Former salesman Raymond Chong Wai-man, 61, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at West Kowloon Court to knowingly publishing 53 seditious Facebook posts that denigrated the central and local authorities between March 26, 2024 and November 29 last year. Chong, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350072/hong-kong-retiree-gets-one-year-jail-seditious-social-media-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350072/hong-kong-retiree-gets-one-year-jail-seditious-social-media-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:12:14 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong barrister faces additional charges after a second person accused him of indecent assault, joining a former pupil who levelled similar accusations over events that took place nine years ago. Prosecutors on Tuesday told Eastern Court that a second victim had come forward to file a complaint against Simon So Shun-yan, who was admitted to the bar in 2018 and founded his own chambers that same year. The 32-year-old faces two new counts of common assault and another of indecent assault, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349993/hong-kong-lawyer-faces-new-charges-after-second-victim-accuses-him-indecent-assault?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349993/hong-kong-lawyer-faces-new-charges-after-second-victim-accuses-him-indecent-assault?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:51:13 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of having underage sex and conning teen girls out of more than HK$30,000 (US$3,830) in a compensated dating scam. The force said on Monday the 36-year-old unemployed local man told the girls they could earn between HK$30,000 and HK$100,000. He told them he would collect the money from clients and transfer it to the girls, according to police. But he instead posed as a “customer” and had sex with one 15-year-old victim at a Yuen Long hotel and at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349955/hongkonger-arrested-suspicion-underage-sex-and-scamming-girls-hk33000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349955/hongkonger-arrested-suspicion-underage-sex-and-scamming-girls-hk33000?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:38:05 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong Cantopop singer Keung To has been fined HK$2,200 (US$280) for careless driving, running a red light and failing to display a probationary sign on his car while driving. Court documents show that the member of the popular boy band Mirror had been charged after ramming his car into railings on Caine Road last November and running a red light at a junction in Kennedy Town a month later. The 26-year-old singer, who reportedly obtained his probationary driving licence in February last year,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349939/hong-kongs-mirror-star-keung-fined-hk2200-driving-offences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349939/hong-kongs-mirror-star-keung-fined-hk2200-driving-offences?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:47:46 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong customs officers have arrested a male driver after intercepting a goods vehicle at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and finding 760 suspected endangered reptiles, with an estimated market value of about HK$580,000 (US$74,060), hidden inside. The Customs and Excise Department said on Monday it found 106 turtles and 654 lizards hidden in his truck, believed to be endangered species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349910/hong-kong-customs-seizes-760-suspected-endangered-reptiles-worth-hk580000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349910/hong-kong-customs-seizes-760-suspected-endangered-reptiles-worth-hk580000?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:42:13 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A mainland Chinese woman has been acquitted of submitting false academic qualifications in her application for Hong Kong’s talent scheme, with the judge saying she could have been defrauded by her agent during the process. Xu Lina, 36, was cleared of the charge at Sha Tin Court on Monday after Magistrate Raymond Wong Kwok-fai said the defendant might have been negligent in failing to check her application form before submitting it to the Immigration Department, but her actions did not amount to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349890/hong-kong-court-clears-woman-forging-qualifications-talent-scheme-application?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349890/hong-kong-court-clears-woman-forging-qualifications-talent-scheme-application?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:24:53 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying A mentally ill Hongkonger has been sentenced to an indefinite period at a psychiatric hospital for killing his mother and hiding her body under a bed believing she was a “monster lizard”. The High Court on Monday accepted recommendations from two psychiatrists and imposed a hospital order on Wong Chun-kit on one count of manslaughter based on diminished responsibility and another count of preventing the lawful burial of a body. Mr Justice Wilson Chan Ka-shun said the case was a “tragic one” and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349888/mentally-ill-son-who-killed-mother-detained-indefinitely-psychiatric-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349888/mentally-ill-son-who-killed-mother-detained-indefinitely-psychiatric-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:21:22 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, completed its 11th day of hearings on Monday. Four senior firefighters, who served as commanders during the Tai Po blaze, testified before the judge-led panel. Previous hearing sessions centred on the deactivation of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349826/tai-po-probe-knowledge-defects-couldve-aided-response-firefighter-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349826/tai-po-probe-knowledge-defects-couldve-aided-response-firefighter-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:11:42 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong The number of phishing scams in Hong Kong fell by more than half last year but total losses suffered by victims doubled to HK$110 million (US$14 million), police have said. The latest numbers were revealed as police warned that workers remained susceptible to such scams. A recent phishing simulation involving hundreds of organisations across the city found that more than one in eight employees taking part clicked on malicious email links and nearly half went on to submit personal data. Police... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349768/number-phishing-cases-drops-hong-kong-victims-lose-more-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349768/number-phishing-cases-drops-hong-kong-victims-lose-more-money?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:30:12 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have arrested a 35-year-old domestic helper on suspicion of child abuse after she allegedly pulled a baby girl’s hair in a village house on Lantau Island. Officers said they received a report at noon on Sunday from the infant’s mother, who suspected the helper of mistreating the child at their home off Shek Mun Kap Road in Tung Chung. The baby had reddening on her head and was taken to North Lantau Hospital for treatment. Police said the 35-year-old Indonesian helper was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349803/helper-35-arrested-hong-kong-after-allegedly-pulling-babys-hair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349803/helper-35-arrested-hong-kong-after-allegedly-pulling-babys-hair?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:02:22 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen Hong Kong authorities will not “draw a line” on which protesters arrested during the 2019 social unrest are eligible for a rehabilitation programme, the security chief has said, while defending the decision to keep the project a secret until recently. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Sunday that the special rehabilitation programme run by his bureau for people arrested in connection with the 2019 anti-government protests had been operating for the past one to two years. “We... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349779/rehabilitation-project-open-all-2019-hong-kong-protest-arrestees-chris-tang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349779/rehabilitation-project-open-all-2019-hong-kong-protest-arrestees-chris-tang?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:12:57 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Hong Kong police are investigating after a pair of Gucci shoes worth HK$11,000 (US$1,404) were stolen from a restroom at Times Square in Causeway Bay, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source said on Saturday that the victim, 48, had bought the shoes from the Gucci store on the second floor of the shopping centre before heading to the restroom on the third floor. She left the shoes behind, and when she returned, she found the shoebox, but the footwear was missing, the source... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349754/gucci-shoes-worth-hk11000-stolen-shopping-centre-restroom-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349754/gucci-shoes-worth-hk11000-stolen-shopping-centre-restroom-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:52:22 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong independent bookstore owner has been fined HK$32,000 (US$4,085) for holding a Spanish class in his shop after a court ruled the course took place at an unregistered school. Pong Yat-ming, 52, was convicted on Friday of violating the Education Ordinance by organising a Spanish course in April last year at Book Punch, a bookstore he founded in Sham Shui Po in 2020. Kowloon City Court earlier heard Pong’s defence at his trial, where he testified that he held the basic language course to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349656/hong-kong-bookstore-owner-fined-hk32000-using-shop-unregistered-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349656/hong-kong-bookstore-owner-fined-hk32000-using-shop-unregistered-school?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:39:23 +0000 Edith Lin,Lo Hoi-ying Edith Lin,Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong police have arrested a 51-year-old man on suspicion of robbing HK$35,000 (US$4,469) from a bank with an air gun and a hammer before escaping on a bicycle, with officers apprehending him and recovering the money in 90 minutes. The force received a report at 12.26pm on Friday that the Bank of East Asia branch in Harbour View Centre in Wan Chai had been robbed. Lam Kin-tat, assistant commander of crime of Wan Chai district, said the suspect claimed to be unemployed and was a Chinese man... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349618/hong-kong-police-hunt-man-who-robbed-bank-wan-chai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349618/hong-kong-police-hunt-man-who-robbed-bank-wan-chai?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:00:32 +0000 Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades completed its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The session focused on the Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire safety systems at Wang Fuk Court, the Tai Po housing estate where 168 people were killed in the catastrophic blaze last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349567/tai-po-probe-switching-fire-system-power-elementary-mistake-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349567/tai-po-probe-switching-fire-system-power-elementary-mistake-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:50:02 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have launched a search for a man who posed as a customer and snatched two Pokemon trading cards worth HK$250,000 (US$31,917) from a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui. The force said the man entered Light TCG, a ground-floor shop on Granville Road, on Thursday and asked to view two rare Pokemon collector cards, priced at HK$130,000 and HK$120,000 respectively. When the shop assistant handed them over, the man grabbed them and bolted. He fled towards Chatham Road South and disappeared, police... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349542/police-hunting-man-who-stole-2-pokemon-cards-worth-hk250000-store?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349542/police-hunting-man-who-stole-2-pokemon-cards-worth-hk250000-store?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:28:01 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong man has been jailed for 11 months and fined HK$4,500 (US$574) for selling his digital wallet, which a crime syndicate then used to receive HK$25,500 defrauded from donors who believed the money would be used to help victims of the Tai Po fire. West Kowloon Court heard on Thursday that Cham Shu-shing, a 32-year-old cook, sold his Alipay account to an unknown group of scammers last year for HK$3,800, knowing it would be used for illegal purposes. A police investigation revealed the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349493/man-jailed-11-months-giving-over-account-used-defraud-tai-po-fire-donors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349493/man-jailed-11-months-giving-over-account-used-defraud-tai-po-fire-donors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:39:54 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu Hong Kong customs has seized about 10,000 suspected counterfeit football jerseys and other unlicensed goods worth an estimated HK$64 million (US$8 million) ahead of the World Cup finals in June. Three people aged 25 to 56 were also arrested on suspicion of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance during the operation Customs and Excise Department carried out from March 9 to 27. Officers targeted cross-boundary transshipment and local deliveries, seizing about 110,000 items, including jerseys,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349490/10000-suspected-fake-football-jerseys-seized-hk64-million-customs-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349490/10000-suspected-fake-football-jerseys-seized-hk64-million-customs-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:30:34 +0000 Tim Parker Tim Parker I’ve yet to meet a parent who wished their child had more screen time. Though just how far the problem can go was laid bare in the recent case of KGM against Meta and Google in a US court. The 20-year-old plaintiff, KGM, sued the owners of Instagram and YouTube, claiming that her extensive use of those platforms was driven by a deliberate use of addictive design features and damaged her mental health. KGM said she had been using YouTube since she was six and Instagram since she was nine,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349448/antisocial-media-meta-google-liable-landmark-case-mental-health-harm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349448/antisocial-media-meta-google-liable-landmark-case-mental-health-harm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 02:02:06 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok A Hong Kong car owner has lost HK$500,000 (US$63,800) to scammers posing as petrol company staff who exploited surging fuel prices by offering bogus top-up deals for membership cards, police have said. The victim received unsolicited WhatsApp messages from fraudsters claiming to represent a fuel company, according to a post on the force’s CyberDefender Facebook page on Wednesday. The scammers promised discounts through prepaid petrol cards and lured the victim into making immediate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349398/hong-kong-car-owner-loses-hk500000-fuel-membership-card-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349398/hong-kong-car-owner-loses-hk500000-fuel-membership-card-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:30:41 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong police have arrested an employee of a systems maintenance contractor hired by the Hospital Authority on suspicion of stealing the personal data of more than 56,000 patients and 1,000 staff members. The arrest of a 30-year-old local man came just days after the authority reported on Saturday a suspected data leak involving patients in the Kowloon East group of hospitals on a third‑party platform, with police and the privacy watchdog investigating. Police revealed on Wednesday that more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349378/police-arrest-man-suspicion-stealing-personal-data-56000-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349378/police-arrest-man-suspicion-stealing-personal-data-56000-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:57:48 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong authorities are proceeding with legal action to confiscate property linked to crimes committed by former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, with a hearing on the matter set to be held in three months. According to a court document seen by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s property after he was sentenced to 20 years in jail for national security offences. A 60-minute hearing is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349371/court-hearing-set-july-confiscating-jimmy-lais-properties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349371/court-hearing-set-july-confiscating-jimmy-lais-properties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:24:42 +0000