Ex-PLA soldier jailed for 8 months for offering illegal ride-hailing trips in Hong Kong
Magistrate rejects defendant’s explanation that he was struggling financially to support family, saying his problems were ‘self-induced’
A former People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier has been sentenced to eight months in prison for illegally carrying passengers in his Tesla Model S luxury car using a ride-hailing platform while in Hong Kong as a tourist.
Fanling Court on Monday heard that Zeng Yulin, 39, travelled to Hong Kong from Shenzhen between June and August last year to offer paid rides using online mapping service Amap, earning more than HK$73,000 (US$9,400) in two months.
He told Acting Principal Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han that he took the risk because he needed to support his family and faced financial difficulties.
However, the magistrate noted that the father of two had previously spent more than HK$450,000 on cars, including the one he used to commit the offences, showing that his financial struggles were “self-induced”.
“The defendant deliberately came to Hong Kong to commit a crime with a plan,” she said.
“He was struggling with money because of his own doing. It is different from ordinary people who feel the pinch [of financial hardship].”
The defendant pleaded guilty to 17 counts of breaching conditions of stay and one count each of driving a motor vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward and using a vehicle without third-party insurance.