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An Australian lawyer has been remanded in custody after appearing in a Hong Kong court to face multiple charges related to "dine and dash" incidents at several high-end restaurants and luxury hotels across the city, involving unpaid bills totaling over HK$2,000.
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Samuel Anthony Monkivitch, 50, appeared at Eastern Magistrates' Courts on Friday facing six counts, including making off without payment and criminal damage.
The court heard that between April 24 and May 5, the defendant allegedly fled from four different establishments without settling his bills.
These venues included the "Cafe Too" buffet at the Island Shangri-La in Admiralty, "Cafe Kool" at the Kowloon Shangri-La in Tsim Sha Tsui, a canteen in Central, and a restaurant in Wan Chai. The combined value of the unpaid meals amounted to approximately HK$2,039.
In addition to the restaurant bills, the lawyer is accused of two counts of criminal damage.
Prosecutors allege that on May 4, he destroyed a sales terminal belonging to the Island Shangri-La International Hotels group.
The following day, he is accused of damaging an iPhone 15 Pro Max belonging to a private individual outside the Hong Kong Museum of History in Tsim Sha Tsui.
During the hearing, the prosecution requested an adjournment to allow for further investigation, including a thorough review of various CCTV recordings from the scenes.
Magistrate Tobias Cheng Yun-chung subsequently adjourned the case until June 5. While the defense applied for bail, the request was denied, and the defendant was ordered to remain in custody. He is scheduled for a bail review hearing on May 15.
The court appearance follows a separate legal matter involving the same defendant.
Records show that just one day prior, he had pleaded guilty at Eastern Magistrates' Courts to two counts of making off without payment and one count of common assault, for which he was fined HK$3,000.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
