Hope it was worth it, man. A Hong Kong tram driver has lost his HK$500,000 (about US$63,700) pension over allegedly stealing passengers’ fares.
The revelation came yesterday when Lau Yau-kit pleaded guilty in court to stealing HK$10, according to hk.on.cc.
Lau, who was a tram driver for 30 years (!) before being forced to resign, allegedly stuffed his fare box with tissue paper, so he could retrieve bills and coins.
Hong Kong Tramways opened an investigation into Lau after two passengers complained about the tissue paper in March. It then sent two staffers aboard Lau’s tram, one of whom put a specially marked HK$10 bill into the fare box. He asked Lau if the build-up of coins and bills would be a problem, and Lau said no.
The greatest sting in the history of Hong Kong’s tram service complete, a supervisor at the depot later confronted Lau about the fare box and asked him to resign.
With a 30-year pension on the line, Lau decided on one last gambit — he called the police and claimed the company had falsely accused him of theft. Bad move. Upon further investigation, the police found the specially marked HK$10 bill in his wallet, arguably the worst possible place to keep damning evidence.
Local media are describing Lau as a cautionary tale against stealing, with Apple Daily releasing a video that tells the story as a bedtime tale featuring McDull the cartoon pig.
Remember, kids, if you’re going to steal, go big or go home. Or at least don’t leave the evidence in your wallet.
