Western District trouser repair row ends with sewing machine grab
SingTao · 3 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A quarrel over mending a torn pair of jeans at a tailoring stall in Shek Tong Tsui escalated into a police case after a woman allegedly grabbed an electric sewing machine while the 77-year-old stall owner was away briefly. The owner later reported the matter to police on Monday morning, and the case was classified as a complaint of nuisance, with no arrest made at that stage.
Key Points
- The dispute began after a woman brought torn jeans to a tailoring stall inside Shek Tong Tsui Municipal Services Building on Saturday, 5 September, for repair.
- When she returned on Sunday at about 5pm to 5.49pm, she was said to be unhappy with the repair result and, according to one report, sought a refund.
- Police were first called after the argument, but officers believed it was an ordinary dispute and advised the woman to leave; she allegedly stayed outside the stall instead.
- While the female owner, identified by police as 77-year-old Kwok, went to the toilet, the woman was seen pulling away an electric sewing machine worth HK$1,000.
- The owner returned and interrupted the act, after which the woman dropped the machine and fled; reports differed on whether the machine was damaged.
Why It Matters
The case remains under police follow-up as a nuisance complaint, and the stall owner has handed over closed-circuit television footage for investigation. For small Hong Kong market and municipal-building operators, the episode shows how a routine service dispute can quickly turn into a public-order and property-damage issue.