An Australian man, who claimed to be a lawyer, has been fined HK$2,000 (US$255) and given a suspended sentence by a Hong Kong court for repeatedly leaving restaurants without paying.
Samuel Anthony Monkivitch, 50, was also ordered to pay HK$2,039 in compensation to two Shangri-La hotels in Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as a Japanese restaurant, after skipping out on bills on four occasions between April 24 and May 5.
Eastern Court heard on Friday that Monkivitch used various excuses to leave the premises, including telling hotel staff that the breakfast buffet was included in his booking, despite him not being a guest.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of making off without payment and two counts of criminal damage.
Last month, Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai fined Monkivitch HK$3,000 for similar offences involving a restaurant and a massage parlour, where he left without settling bills totalling about HK$1,200.
Court documents in that previous case listed his occupation as a lawyer. However, in the current proceedings, he described himself as a “legal consultant and merchant”.
