Hong Kong police sergeant jailed for 3 months after making false statements to secure HK$165,000 from force’s credit union
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Hong Kong police sergeant jailed for 3 months after making false statements to secure HK$165,000 from force’s credit union
A Hong Kong police sergeant was sentenced to three months in jail on Thursday for making false statements to secure loans totalling HK$165,000 (US$21,092) from the force’s credit union.
Appearing before the Eastern Court after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud, 47-year-old Wong Pak-lun was found to have falsely reported the monthly amounts he was repaying on other loans when he applied to the Police Credit Union in 2017 and 2019.
The sergeant had told the union he was repaying HK$5,000 and HK$9,000 but was actually making payments of HK$22,000 and HK$39,000 after respectively borrowing HK$520,000 and HK$780,000 from several lenders.
The union approved both applications and gave him a loan of HK$110,000 in 2017 and another for HK$55,000 two years later.
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Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei on Thursday slammed the defendant for his extravagant lifestyle and gambling habits, which had saddled Wong with substantial debt.
“As a police officer, the defendant should understand and obey the law better than anyone else, but he deliberately committed a continuous act of deceit,” she said.
The magistrate said Wong had borrowed money from several lenders over the past 10 years and used the cash to indulge in luxuries he could not cover with his sergeant’s income.
Chui ruled out giving the defendant a suspended sentence or community service, arguing Wong should take responsibility for his actions and bear the legal consequences.
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In mitigation, Wong’s counsel said the defendant had paid off his debts and shown remorse for committing a serious crime that would likely cost the sergeant his job and pension.
The lawyer also described Wong as a veteran of the force who had earned a number of commendations during his service.
The magistrate initially imposed a prison sentence of six months for both counts, but discounted that period by a third to reflect the defendant’s timely guilty plea and knocked off another month in light of his long-term police service.
Chui also ordered for Wong to serve his jail term concurrently.
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