Mannings apologises after elderly Hong Kong cleaner cleared of stealing vouchers
Magistrate says she is sure 77-year-old defendant lied to her about her eyesight, but that prosecution could not prove she took the roll of stickers deliberately
Hong Kong’s largest pharmacy chain apologised on Friday to an elderly cleaner acquitted of stealing HK$30,000 worth of vouchers from one of its branches, admitting it had been hasty to call in the police.
The woman, 77, said she had mistaken the roll of stickers for tape needed for her work at the Mannings store.
While Li Suk-hing, who had become a figure of online sympathy since her arrest, was acquitted at West Kowloon Magistrates Court, Magistrate Peony Wong Nga-yan said the defendant lied about her poor eyesight, which was cited as part of her defence against the theft charge.
But Wong said the prosecutor failed to prove Li’s intention to cheat and steal.
“That a person lied does not mean the person committed an offence,” Wong said.
Outside court, Li, who works for a cleaning company contracted by Mannings, said she was happy about the verdict and thanked Hongkongers for their concern.