Hong Kong: An Australian lawyer who went on a dine-and-dash spree across Hong Kong says he plans to fly home as soon as possible after receiving a suspended sentence and a fine.
Samuel Monkivitch gained a reputation in Hong Kong’s dining scene for running away from bills at five-star hotels as well as smaller restaurants.
Before he was arrested earlier this year, footage circulated on social media showing Monkivitch being pursued by restaurant staff into the city’s streets, including an altercation with one man in which he was filmed saying: “Mate, do you want your head smashed in?”
After spending four weeks behind bars, the 50-year-old was released on Friday after pleading guilty to a string of offences, and a family member agreed to pay his fine and outstanding bills by 5pm.
He was convicted on four charges of “making off without payment” for running out on bills at two Shangri-La hotel venues, a Chinese restaurant, and a Japanese restaurant between April 25 and May 5. He was also convicted on two counts of criminal damage relating to an iPhone 15 ProMax that belonged to a man who was pursuing him for payment, and damaging a point of sales machine at one of the Shangri-La venues.
Representing himself before Magistrate David Cheung – who had fined him in May for an earlier series of similar offences – Monkivitch told the court he was unemployed and his time in custody had “had a very adverse effect on my employment”.
When asked by Cheung when he planned to return to Australia, he said: “Today, probably.”
Monkivitch’s former employer, KorumLegal, a Hong Kong-based firm, last month told this masthead he had parted ways with the company in October and condemned his behaviour.
Monkivitch insisted on entering a guilty plea on Friday despite telling the court he had not seen the prosecution’s statement of facts. He declined Cheung’s offer to adjourn the matter until Monday to give him time to read the paperwork and determine his plea.
“Let’s proceed to plea,” Monkivitch said, adding there were “a lot external factors at play”.
Cheung ultimately adjourned the matter until Friday afternoon, and sentenced Monkivitch to a period of six weeks’ imprisonment, which was suspended for 18 months on the condition that he does not reoffend.
Monkivitch was also ordered to pay a fine of $HK2000 ($358) on top of the outstanding amounts he owed for his unpaid bills, which totalled $HK12,539.90 ($2244) – most of which related to the iPhone damage.
He sought to dispute the prosecution’s cost determination of the phone damage, describing it as “completely unreasonable”.
“Either you choose to pay, or you choose not to pay,” Cheung said.
A family member who had travelled to Hong Kong for the hearing agreed to pay.
“I hope this will be the last time you come to this court,” Cheung said after convicting Monkivitch.
In May, Monkivitch pleaded guilty and paid a $HK3000 ($536) fine for fleeing two businesses – a Chinese restaurant and a massage parlour – without paying, and to a common assault charge for striking the hand of the bystander who filmed him.
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Lisa Visentin is the North Asia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Beijing. She was previously a federal political correspondent based in Canberra.Connect via X or email.