Aussie who took minibus for ‘joyride’ claims drink spiked by ‘African woman’ in Wan Chai

An Australian tourist accused of hijacking a minibus in Wan Chai last month has claimed his drink might have been spiked by an “African Lady”.

Patrick Cunningham allegedly boarded a minibus on Lockhart Road in the early hours of Aug. 9 and asked the driver, Chiu Ping-lam, to step on it. When  Chiu fled, Cunningham reportedly took over the wheel.

The minibus was later recovered from Stubbs Road, Happy Valley, with Cunningham found nearby without his wallet, mobile phone or shoes. 

We’ve all been there… right?

The bus also suffered a broken window.

At Hong Kong’s Eastern Court on Monday, Cunningham’s lawyer Vandan Rajwani said her client was given a drink by an African woman in a Wan Chai pub shortly before the incident.

“What he suspects, very possibly, is that she had his drink spiked,” she added, according to the SCMP.

Cunningham claims the next thing he remembers is being surrounded by four police officers.

The session on Monday was a mitigation hearing after the Australian pleaded guilty to using a vehicle without third party insurance, taking conveyance without authority, common assault and failing to provide a blood sample.

Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai, however, changed her decision to accept Cunningham’s guilty plea since the accused claims he cannot recall the events.

Photo: Screenshot Apple Daily

Related Stories:

Drunk Australian tourist arrested after hijacking minibus and driving for 4.6km
 


Got a tip? Send it to us at hongkong@coconuts.co.





BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
YouTube video
Subscribe on