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| The defendant pleaded guilty to stealing $15k he collected for his company |
A Filipino staff of a ship supply company pleaded guilty
today, Jul 28, to a charge of theft in West Kowloon Court
The defendant, A. Manlangit, 40, was convicted by Magistrate
Peter Law, who withheld his sentence until Aug 25 after the defendant said he
would return the money to the company before that date.
The prosecution charged Manlangit with stealing a US$1,972
($15,382) payment he had collected from a cargo ship on Jan 5 for his employer,
Hong Kong Shipchandlers Ltd.
The firm hired him in July 2019 to deliver goods and collect
cash from customers.
Manlangit was instructed by the company manager to collect
the payment from the captain of Maersk Edirne at Container Terminal 9 in Tsing
Yi but did not return to the office on that day, a police report said.
The company manager confirmed with the captain of Maersk Edirne
that he had given the money to the defendant on that date.
On Jan 6, the company manager received Whatsapp messages
from the defendant saying he went to the Philippines
The defendant became out of reach after that and the case
was reported to the police.
On Jan 31, the defendant returned to the company but did not
return the money, prompting the manager to call the police. He was arrested but
remained silent.
In mitigation, the defense counsel said the defendant,
married, pleaded guilty to the offense and offered to return the stolen money.
Magistrate Law ordered him to return to the court on Aug 25
and extended his bail.
