Category: Police
Tung Chung cab driver fined $1000 for overcharging
A Lantau cab driver has been fined HK$1000 for attempting to overcharge passengers.
The 60-year-old driver, surnamed Ho, was arrested after soliciting undercover police officers at the Tung Chung MTR taxi rank on June 12.
The incident took place just as signal 8 had been raised for Typhoon Merbok, a time when fares are usually raised as most cabs disappear off the road.
A Lantau District police officer close to the case said the undercover operation had been planned for some time and had not been timed for the typhoon. He said operations against taxi overcharging would continue.
But the magistrate in the West Kowloon Court last month took the typhoon conditions into account and imposed a penalty at the low end of the range.
Section 40 of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations specifies fines of up to $10,000 and six months jail for cab drivers who seek an “inducement” from passengers.
Police investigate after two vehicles set alight in four minutes
Lantau police are investigating two nearly identical vehicle fires in the space of four minutes in South Lantau early today.
In each case a Toyota seven-seater vehicle was reversed into the front gate of a home and then set alight.
The first took place in San Wai, Pui O, at the front gate of a three-storey home at 2:49am, according to the Oriental Daily.
Apple Daily photo of the Pui O vehicle
The second was at No. 16 Shui Hau at 2:53am, where a vehicle reverse crashed into the gate and then drove forward into a fire hydrant before the occupants fled.
Fire Department officers said both cases were arson and called in the police.
The Shui Hau owner said he did not know why his gate was rammed. Police are viewing his security camera footage.
Police haven’t confirmed whether the two incidents are linked.
Photo (top): Burned out Shui Hau car (Oriental Daily)
Paraglider flown to hospital after Sunset Peak accident
A 36-year-old paraglider was flown to hospital after an accident on Lantau’s Sunset Peak on Sunday afternoon.
A man surnamed Lee was flying with a friend towards Pak Kung Au when he lost control near the Lantau trail at about 4pm, Sing Tao Daily reports.
He collided with a boulder, fracturing his left foot. His friends raised the alarm and Lee was flown by helicopter to Eastern Hospital.
South Lantau is one of seven designated locations for paragliding in Hong Kong.
Suicidal CEO avoids jail over N. Lantau police chase
A suicidal businessman who ran two roadblocks on a wild chase across North Lantau has been given a suspended 20-month jail sentence.
Mo Lai-man, 46, caused HK$300,000 in damage as he led a police pursuit from Disneyland to Ma Wan on December 5 last year, Ming Pao reports today.
Sentencing Mo in the District Court yesterday, the judge described the 22-km chase as “something from a Hollywood movie.”
The judge said Mo had been affected by alcohol but, apart from minor injuries to two police officers, had not harmed anyone.
Ma, the chief executive of China Dragon Membership Services, had pleaded guilty. He had told the court he was distressed over business debts and had intended to commit suicide.
Ma led police on a 22-km chase from Sunny Bay, near Disneyland. He had driven on the wrong side of the road and ignored instructions to stop, later forcing his way through two roadblocks, damaging two police cars, trucks and other vehicles.
When brought to a halt in Ma Wan, he tried to jump from the freeway bridge.
He was later found to have contained 75 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, well above the 50 mg limit.
Mo’s sentence was suspended for three years.
Police seize $3m in contraband in Tung Chung raid
Police seized HK$3 million worth of contraband electronics and coral goods early yesterday morning following an overnight operation in Tung Chung.
In a joint operation by Marine Police and Customs say they intercepted six suspected smugglers loading a sampan at the Ma Wan Chung pier at 1am Wednesday morning, Oriental Daily reported.
The men escaped in the boat, but left behind goods including mobile phones, hard disks, tablets, electronic watches and coral. The Customs Department is continuing to investigate.
Drunk driver pleads guilty over north Lantau road rampage
A 46-year-old CEO who broke through two roadblocks and led police on a 22-kilometre chase has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
The driver, Mo Lai-man, caused HK$300,000 in damage during a wild chase between Disneyland and Ma Wan on December 5 last year, Oriental Daily reports.
The pursuit began after a police patrol spotted Mo talking on his mobile phone while parked on Sunny Bay Road, near Disneyland.
He suddenly drove off on the wrong side of the road and ignored instructions from the officers to stop, sparking the pursuit.
He twice forced his way through roadblocks, damaging two police vehicles, two light trucks and another vehicle. When he finally stopped in Ma Wan, he was emotional, shouting that he wanted to die, and tried to jump from the freeway bridge, the District Court heard.
Aftermath (source: HK01)
He was later found to have contained 75 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, well above the 50 mg limit.
Ma, the chief executive of China Dragon Membership Services, said he was distressed because of business debts and had intended to commit suicide.
The judge said the offences would usually require a prison term. He asked for a psychological and psychiatric report, with Mo to be sentenced on August 17.
Hikers fined for swiming in Yi O infinity pool
Two people have been fined HK$500 for swimming in the Man Cheung Po infinity pool at Yi O.
The site, a 30-minute walk from Tai O, is a popular summer destination for its spectacular waterfall and pool, but is also protected under the Waterworks Ordinance.
The Water Supplies Department (WSD) received a complaint that people had entered the water catchment area in June and worked with police to identify the offenders, the Oriental Daily reports.
Crowds at the pool (Source: Oriental Daily)
The two were convicted in West Kowloon Magistrates Court on July 24 for being in a water catchment area in violation of the Waterworks Ordinance.
Under the Waterworks Ordinance, it is an offence for any person to enter a water facility to swim, with a penalty of a fine of up to $50,000 and two years’ prison.
Climber airlifted to hospital after 8m fall on Lantau slope
A 66-year-old climber was airlifted from Lantau this afternoon after an eight-metre fall.
The man, surnamed Li, one of a party of 16, is believed to have lost his footing in climbing the challenging Tsing Lung Stream above San Shek Wan, Oriental Daily reported.
He was bleeding but conscious following the fall and was flown by Government Flying Service helicopter to the Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan.
The Tsing Lung climb takes about five hours and includes slopes of 70 to 90 degrees. A China Hong Kong Hiking Association expert told the paper the slope was is slippery and dangerous after rain and was not suitable for inexperienced climbers.
Photo: Lantau News file photo
Police seek blue taxi over Shui Hau hit-and-run
Police suspect a Lantau taxi was involved in a hit-and-run accident at Shui Hau early today that killed a cow.
They are interviewing a cab driver in relation to the incident. They believe the taxi has been taken to a Cheung Sha Wan garage for repair.
They also seek three passengers believed to have taken a cab from Tai O to Tung Chung between 2:00 to 4:00 am today.
A female cow died on the road between Shui Hau and Tong Fuk in the early hours this morning.
Police arriving at the scene at 4:15am found the animal (no 228) had died and the driver had fled. They found fragments of a vehicle indicator light on the road and are calling for public assistance.
It is the second time in less than two weeks that a vehicle has struck a cow at that location, approximately a kilometre west of Tong Fuk.
The Lantau Buffalo Association and members are offering HK$5000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the driver responsible for the death.
They are calling for passengers in the cab, or other witnesses, to come forward.
Anyone with information about the incident can call New Territories South Traffic Investigations Team on 36611300, Lantau traffic police on 36612780 or LBA Hotline on 81036312.
Photos: Sacks of tortoises dumped on Mui Wo dock
Photos obtained by Lantau News throw further light on the attempt to smuggle African spurred tortoises on the weekend.
Local fisherman found the tortoises in sacks on the Mui Wo dock on Saturday evening and called the police.
Just some of the sacks of tortoises on the dock
The photos reveal many of the tortoises were full-grown adults and some had been kept in distressing conditions.
Tortoise lying on its back
The resident who passed on the photos (who asked to remain anonymous) said the sacks appeared to have been dumped on the dock by the would-be smugglers. Some sacks had broken open, revealing some tortoises lying on their backs.
He said it wasn’t clear if the creatures had been brought by boat or were waiting to be collected by boat.
More abandoned sacks of tortoises
The African spurred tortoise is the world’s third largest tortoise and is a popular pet. Trade in the species is illegal under the CITES treaty.
Lantau Confidential 