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Two female Mainland residents who pleaded guilty on July 23 in the Shatin Magistrates' Courts to a charge of conspiracy to defraud were each sentenced to five months' imprisonment today (August 6).
On November 18, 2011, the first defendant, a 29-year-old non-local pregnant visitor, was stopped for examination upon arrival at Lo Wu Control Point. She was estimated by the stationed doctor from the Department of Health to be around 18 weeks pregnant. After examination, she was granted entry into Hong Kong. She later departed Hong Kong on January 27. On February 23 the first defendant arrived at Lo Wu Control Point again, carrying an infant. Upon enquiry, she claimed to have prematurely given birth to the infant in December 2011 during her previous stay in Hong Kong. She was granted entry into Hong Kong. Later, the Immigration Department received information that she had rushed to the Accident and Emergency Department of a public hospital for urgent confinement without booking on April 20 and she subsequently gave birth to a baby boy at the public hospital on April 21.
The first defendant was apprehended on May 7, together with the second defendant. Under caution, the first defendant admitted that she had, on February 23, used the second defendant's infant to cover her abdomen with a view to concealing her pregnancy and had upon enquiry falsely claimed to have prematurely given birth to that infant so as to gain entry into Hong Kong for confinement. The second defendant, a 27-year-old female Mainland resident, admitted under caution that she had lent her infant to the first defendant to cover up the latter's pregnancy so that the latter could come to Hong Kong for confinement.
"The Immigration Department is concerned about the situation of non-local pregnant women seeking to give birth in Hong Kong without confinement booking. We will continue to spare no effort in intercepting such non-local pregnant women at control points and combating any related offences detected," an Immigration Department spokesman said.
Under the Crimes Ordinance, a person convicted of the offence of conspiracy to defraud shall be liable to imprisonment for 14 years.
Ends/Monday, August 6, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:53
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