A Police Constable was today (Friday) convicted at Eastern Court of swindling $60,700 from a woman he had come to know through a telephone chat-line, by fabricating a series of stories.

Ling Ching-hung, 29, was today found guilty of six deception offences, and one count of attempting to obtain property by deception.

Magistrate Mr Chau Hing-pang adjourned sentencing until July 27, pending a background report. The defendant was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.

The case originated from a corruption report alleging that Ling had solicited and accepted unauthorised loans from his friend. ICAC enquiries revealed the deception offences.

The court heard that Ling had come to know Chan Chi-ming, a cosmetics saleslady, through a telephone chat-line in February last year.

Between February and June last year, Ling had dishonestly obtained from Chan a total of $60,700 by making up a series of fabrications.

He had falsely represented to Chan that his mother had suddenly died of cirrhosis, and he needed money to settle her funeral expenses.

He also claimed that he needed money to pay his factory workers, and that his factory owed a supplier a total sum of $200,000.

Ling also claimed that he needed to pay $5,000 as a service charge for clearing a lorry through the customs check in Mainland China.

The court heard that so far, Ling had repaid about $8,300 to Chan.

The court was told that Ling had also attempted to obtain $3,000 from another saleslady Chan Lei-lei, by falsely representing that he needed money to pay for the repairs as his uncle's taxi had collided with a car.

The prosecution was today represented by Melville Boase on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Andy Chan.