Hairdresser Charged Over 12 Taxi Fare Evasion Cases
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A 47-year-old hairdresser, Chan Pak-ho (陳泊濠), was brought before West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on October 17 for the first hearing over allegations linked to 12 separate taxi-related incidents between June and October. He faces a total of 25 charges, including 10 counts of obtaining property by deception, two counts of theft, one count of common assault and 12 counts of making off without payment. The prosecution alleges he repeatedly told taxi drivers that a friend urgently needed cash, then dishonestly obtained sums ranging from HK$260 to HK$1,000, while also avoiding taxi fares and, in one case, assaulting a driver. The case was adjourned to December 28 at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts for further police investigation, and the defendant was remanded in custody after being excused from entering a plea for now
Key Points
- Prosecutors said the alleged offences took place from June 18 to October 9 at locations including Kowloon City, Tsuen Wan, Cheung Sha Wan and Kam Tin
- The charge sheet lists 25 offences in total: 10 deception counts, two theft counts, one common assault count and 12 making-off-without-payment counts
- In several cases, Chan allegedly claimed during taxi rides that a friend urgently needed cash, then obtained HK$360, HK$1,000, HK$800, HK$500 and other sums
- One assault allegation relates to July 15 outside Hong Kong Baptist Hospital in Kowloon City, where driver Wong Wai-hung was allegedly attacked
- Two theft counts allege cash of HK$700 was stolen from a taxi outside Yoshinoya at Fou Wah Centre on August 12, and HK$750 from a taxi outside Tsuen Wan Plaza on September 21
Why It Matters
The case centres on alleged repeated targeting of taxi drivers, a group that often handles cash directly and works alone, making such accusations especially sensitive for the trade. It also shows how a series of relatively small individual losses and unpaid fares can accumulate into a large multi-charge prosecution when police link incidents across districts