An Australian man, identified as Samuel Anthony Monkivitch, is fined and given a suspended jail term by a Hong Kong court for repeatedly leaving restaurants without paying. According to court accounts, Monkivitch, who told the court he was a lawyer, pleaded guilty to charges connected to a dine-and-dash spree in Hong Kong spanning multiple incidents between late April and early May. He is said to have dined at restaurants associated with two Shangri-La hotels, including locations in Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as at a Japanese restaurant, and to have left without settling the bills on several occasions.
The court orders include a fine of HK$2,000, along with compensation payments totalling HK$2,039 to the affected premises. Reports also say Monkivitch receives a suspended sentence of 18 months. One outlet notes he previously faced a fine of HK$3,000 over similar conduct, and that he plans to fly home after the sentencing. The cases are heard at Hong Kong’s Eastern Magistrates’ Courts.
