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Two top doctors each fined HK$5,000 for stealing food from AEON in Whampoa
Hospital Authority’s chief manager Vivien Chuang Wai-man and her orthopedist husband Chiu Ming-yu were each fined HK$5,000 for stealing food worth over HK$1,600 from Japanese supermarket AEON in Whampoa last April.
Chuang, 49, and Chiu, 48, earlier pleaded not guilty to a count of theft but were convicted by judge Frances Leung Nga-yan in the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today.
They allegedly stole food including a watermelon, a melon, strawberries, sashimi, sushi, puddings and chicken worth HK$1,632.8 from the AEON store on April 23, 2022.
Delivering the verdict, Leung said she didn’t believe the duo, who claimed they forgot to place the food on the self-checkout counter because they were distracted and were worried about their daughter studying in China that was on lockdown at the time.
Leung also referred to the security camera footage that Chiu constantly checked if the items had been scanned already, indicating that his testimony didn’t match with the actual situation at that time.
Leung then found the duo guilty as she noted that the prosecution successfully proved that they committed the theft with dishonest intent.
In mitigation, the defense said the duo will face a disciplinary hearing by the Medical Council of Hong Kong following the conviction and it is possible that they will be expelled from the doctors’ registry.
The defense said Chiu volunteered to combat SARS in Princess Margaret Hospital in 2003, and submitted a mitigation letter written by health expert Yuen Kwok-yung, which spoke highly of Chuang for her contributions in the fight against Covid-19.
Although Leung pointed out that AEON didn’t suffer any losses, she noted that the duo’s conviction was a shame. Leung went on to say that she never doubted their contributions to the city and believed this theft was only an isolated incident.
Still, Leung said that everyone is equal before the law and that the sentencing must reflect the serious nature of the theft. She in the end fined Chuang and Chiu HK$5,000 each.
They allegedly stole food including a watermelon, a melon, strawberries, sashimi, sushi, puddings and chicken worth HK$1,632.8 from the AEON store on April 23, 2022.
Delivering the verdict, Leung said she didn’t believe the duo, who claimed they forgot to place the food on the self-checkout counter because they were distracted and were worried about their daughter studying in China that was on lockdown at the time.
Leung also referred to the security camera footage that Chiu constantly checked if the items had been scanned already, indicating that his testimony didn’t match with the actual situation at that time.
Leung then found the duo guilty as she noted that the prosecution successfully proved that they committed the theft with dishonest intent.
In mitigation, the defense said the duo will face a disciplinary hearing by the Medical Council of Hong Kong following the conviction and it is possible that they will be expelled from the doctors’ registry.
The defense said Chiu volunteered to combat SARS in Princess Margaret Hospital in 2003, and submitted a mitigation letter written by health expert Yuen Kwok-yung, which spoke highly of Chuang for her contributions in the fight against Covid-19.
Although Leung pointed out that AEON didn’t suffer any losses, she noted that the duo’s conviction was a shame. Leung went on to say that she never doubted their contributions to the city and believed this theft was only an isolated incident.
Still, Leung said that everyone is equal before the law and that the sentencing must reflect the serious nature of the theft. She in the end fined Chuang and Chiu HK$5,000 each.
