Robber who stole HK watches jailed in Taiwan

A Taiwanese man who stole watches worth nearly HK$1 million from a Hong Kong shop has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison by a Taiwanese court.

Lin Tang-chun, 29, was found guilty of aggravated robbery yesterday when appearing in the Taichung district court.

The court also confiscated NT$2.8 million (HK$747,870) that Lin earned from selling two watches stolen from the Tsim Sha Tsui shop.

Lin fled back to Taiwan after robbing the shop in October, creating difficulties for the police investigation due to lack of mutual fugitive arrangements between Taiwan and Hong Kong.

He is therefore dubbed the "Taiwan version of Chan Tong-kai," the Hong Kong murder suspect who returned to the SAR after the death of his pregnant girlfriend in Taipei, which triggered the infamous government plan here to introduce the now-withdrawn fugitive bill.

But unlike Chan, who remains free, Lin was captured by Taiwanese police in November in his flat, where a large sum of money and four Rolex watches were found.

It is understood that Lin committed similar crimes in Japan and Singapore before targeting Hong Kong, in order to pay back gambling debts.

He bought an air pistol shaped like a Glock 17 after arriving in the SAR on October 5. The next day, Lin walked into the watch store in Nathan Road and pretended to be a customer to try on two watches worth about HK$990,000.

Lin then used the gun to threaten a staffer standing by the door to prevent him from leaving, and knocked down another.

Lin flew back to Taiwan in the afternoon that day.

Prosecutors in Taichung ended up arresting and charging Lin mainly based on footage filmed and published by news outlets in Hong Kong.

Lin had remained in custody up till the conviction and sentencing yesterday.

Meanwhile, Hongkonger Chan Tong-kai has kept a low profile after being released from jail in October.

He had served 29 months in prison for money laundering in Hong Kong, and said upon his release that he would surrender himself to Taiwanese police for the alleged murder, though not specifying when.