In August last year, a Vietnamese man climbed the scaffolding on the outer wall of Tung Ming Building, Lai Chi Kok Road, Sham Shui Po, and stuck a self-made “fishing rod” more than 2 meters long into the window of a unit on the 10th floor. He caught a handbag and fled, the female victim lost. About HK$5,900 in belongings. The man involved in the case pleaded guilty in the District Court today (21st) to burglary and was sentenced to 22 months in prison. When sentencing, Judge Peng Zhongping pointed out that the defendant committed a crime in Hong Kong with a “street paper”, which was an additional factor. However, considering that the defendant cooperated with the police investigation and had remorse following being arrested, a lower sentencing starting point was adopted.
Defendant Nguyen Minh Dung, a 32-year-old Vietnamese national who reported to be unemployed, was charged with entering a unit in Tung Ming House, Lai Chi Kok Road, Sham Shui Po as a trespasser on 22 August 2021, where he stole a handbag containing a wallet , 1 ID card, HK$1,200 in cash, 1 HKTV Mall cash coupon, 4 credit cards from different banks, 1 Bank of East Asia ATM card, 1 Personal Octopus and 1 Senior Octopus, with a total value of HK$5,904.6. The case revealed that the female victim went to the unit to visit her father on the same day. A scaffold was erected on the outer wall of the building that day. The defendant climbed on the scaffold and stretched a bamboo pole with a length of regarding 8 feet into the window of the unit where the crime occurred. handbag. After the victim heard the sound, he walked out of the living room and witnessed the defendant grabbing the handbag. The victim shouted and rushed to the window, while the defendant fled with the handbag. The incident was captured on CCTV in the living room of the unit where the incident occurred. The police arrested the defendant on Fuk Wah Street on August 27 of the same year. The defendant admitted the crime under caution, and revealed during the video interview at the police station that he had found a bamboo pole on the scaffolding that day. and clothes hanger, which he refitted and used for crime. After he stole the victim’s handbag, he took HK$1,200 in cash, and he discarded the rest of the items.
When judge Peng Zhongping sentencing, he pointed out that the crime of breaking into the house is a serious crime, and the starting point for sentencing is generally 3 years in prison. When the defense pleaded for mercy, it said that the defendant acted on the basis of the opportunity, without careful planning and unprofessional tactics. Peng Guan disagreed that the defendant just took the opportunity to act, pointing out that the defendant had to climb the scaffolding of the building deliberately when committing the crime, and the crime unit was located on the 10th floor. However, Peng Guan agreed that the crime was unprofessional and uncomplicated, and following the defendant was arrested, he revealed the incident and showed his remorse, so he adopted a lower sentencing starting point, namely 30 months in prison. The crime committed in Hong Kong is undoubtedly an aggravating factor, so the starting point of the sentencing was adjusted to 33 months in prison. After taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea and deductions, the final sentence was immediate imprisonment for 22 months.