Upset with having his pension garnished to repay a gambling debt, a 74-year-old retired nurse tried yesterday to set fire to the Justice Department building in Central, according to reports.
The retiree, Cheng Kan-yung, arrived at Justice Place (the former Central Government Building) about 3pm yesterday and ascended to the offices of the Civil Litigation Unit on the sixth floor of the East Wing, according to Apple Daily.
There, at the reception area, he took out two beer bottles containing flammable liquid, reportedly paint thinner, threw one on the ground and set it alight.
“I want to die,” he reportedly yelled, as a 28-year-old security guard rushed in and quickly extinguished the flames.
Called to the scene, police officers arrested Cheng and sent him to Queen Mary Hospital to treat burns he had suffered on his hand.
They also found a note in his possession, reading “redress an injustice.”
According to Apple Daily, Cheng initially received a retirement pension of HK$13,000 (US$1,700) per month.
However, after going bankrupt from gambling, the amount was cut down to HK$5,000 (US$637) as part of his pension was used to pay off the gaming debts.
Upset with the reduction, he had sent complaints to Official Receiver’s Office and also written threatening emails to the Civil Service Bureau, threatening to “burn to death” those overseeing his bankruptcy.
For the threats, which took place in 2008, he was convicted of criminal intimidation and sentenced to one-year probation.
