Forger Peter Chan gets 12 years in jail, called 'insidious, greedy, shameless'

Peter Chan Chun-chuen, described by a judge as insidious, shameless and extremely greedy, was jailed on Friday for 12 years for forging a will purportedly left by late billionaire Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum.

The 53-year-old former fung shui practitioner, previously known as Tony Chan, was on Thursday found guilty of forgery and using a false instrument.

In handing down the sentence, Mr Justice Andrew Macrae said he intended to adopt the maximum sentence of 14 years as a starting point but reduced it by two years for different factors including the quick manner Chan's lawyer conducted the criminal trial.

The judge also ordered Chan to pay an estimated cost of HK$2 million incurred by the prosecution during a preliminary inquiry requested by Chan, which the judge said was wholly unwarranted.

Macrae also called Chan shameless for abusing Wang's trust and a charlatan. He said the scheme was nasty and insidious because Chan would have taken the legacy that Wang had intended for her charitable organisation.

Chan looked dazed as he heard the sentence while his wife Tam Miu-ching, his brother Ricky Chan Chun-kwok and his daughter Polly Lon Pui-chun were calm.

Before the hearing started, Chan fought to hold back his tears in the dock.