Hong Kong housewife jailed 2 years for holding valuables from husband’s robbery

Li denied the charge of handling stolen goods and previously told the court she was not aware the items in her bedroom were associated with the robbery.

But the jury unanimously found her guilty on Wednesday.

The prosecution alleged Li was involved in renting a flat opposite the 25-year-old businesswoman’s home so the latter’s movements could be observed, arguing that she must have been aware of the planned robbery.

Judge Lee said that there was no evidence to suggest the defendant was directly connected to the robbery, or that she had prior knowledge of “how the stolen goods found their way to her bedroom”.

He noted that the specific items found in the defendant’s bedroom were worth slightly over HK$30,000, a “rather insignificant” amount compared to the other luxury goods stolen during the robbery.

Li’s defence lawyer said his client, originally from mainland China, had married her husband in the city in 2018 but was no longer in contact with him.

With all mitigating factors considered, the judge reconsidered his original sentence of two years and three months, reducing it to two years.