Nurse trainee admits hospital dorm locker thefts
HK01 · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago6 MIN
Summary
A 28-year-old former nurse trainee at Queen Mary Hospital, Yip Ching-yi (葉靜怡), pleaded guilty in the District Court to two counts of theft and three counts of attempted theft over two locker-room incidents involving colleagues’ luxury items and bank cards. The case concerned the theft of a Gucci wallet in October 2024 and a Celine handbag in March 2025 from unlocked or partly open lockers in the hospital’s nurses’ dormitory. Deputy District Judge Yu Chun-cheung adjourned sentencing to September 23 for background reports, said imprisonment was very likely, and ordered compensation totaling more than HK$9,000. The defence said she offended while under severe financial and emotional strain after lending about HK$100,000 to a gambling-addicted former boyfriend and coping with family bereavements and illness.
Key Points
- The defendant admitted two theft charges and three attempted theft charges at the District Court hearing on September 8, and was remanded in custody pending sentencing on September 23.
- In the first incident on October 13, 2024, a nurse surnamed So lost a Gucci wallet worth HK$2,500, plus identity and bank cards and about HK$200 cash, from a third-floor locker.
- The stolen credit card from that case was used in three failed transactions over three days, including one for HK$193.35 and two for HK$16.70, linked to bus fares and Taobao shopping attempts.
- In the second incident on March 19, 2025, a nurse surnamed Sheh lost a Celine handbag, a Loewe card holder worth HK$3,200, two rings worth HK$1,164 and an Audi key from a second-floor locker.
- The defendant sold the Celine handbag and Loewe card holder at Brand Off in Yuen Long Plaza the next day for HK$3,500 and HK$300 respectively, while police later found the two rings at her home.
Why It Matters
The case shows how theft allegations can carry consequences beyond criminal sentencing for healthcare workers in Hong Kong, because the defence said the defendant has already become a registered nurse but cannot work in public hospitals and may lose her professional licence. It also underlines the risks around unsecured staff lockers in hospital accommodation, where colleagues’ personal documents, payment cards and high-value items were kept.