HONG KONG: A 75-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 11 years in jail by a Hong Kong court on March 11 for separate charges of robbery and attempted robbery, local media reported.
Leong How Seng had pleaded guilty a day earlier in the Hong Kong High Court to the crimes committed.
In considering his age when arriving at the punishment, the judge said a light sentence would reduce its deterrence effect, but noted his cooperation with the authorities.
In April 2022, the then 73-year-old robbed a China Construction Bank (Asia) branch in Kowloon’s Nathan Road with an air gun, and fled the scene with around HK$14,000 (US$1802) in cash.
He was nabbed at his residence by the police, who used CCTV camera footage to track him. They retrieved an air gun, HK$5,750 (US$740) in cash and the clothes he wore at the bank.
Investigations found he had also overstayed in Hong Kong with a girlfriend, a former English teacher who had her earnings heavily affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Leong has also lost contact with his wife.
Leong had told the court that he was born in Singapore and has been living in Hong Kong since 2007.
In an earlier case in July 2020, Leong attempted and failed to rob a Mannings pharmacy outlet. He told the court it was the day his rent was due. - The Straits Times/ANN
