Three men admitted burglary offences after stealing 83 Jellycat and Labubu plush toys from two claw-machine shops in a Kwai Chung shopping centre. They were sentenced to between 24 and 26 months’ imprisonment on 18 September 2026, after the toys were valued at more than HK$110,000.
The first raid took place at about 3am on 9 June 2025, according to the prosecution case reported by Ming Pao. One man used a key-shaped object to unlock the glass doors of claw machines in a second-floor shop, taking 23 Jellycat toys worth HK$23,000 and placing them in four reusable bags.
Five days later, at about 4am, the same man travelled to the shopping centre by taxi with another wanted person. Another defendant drove the third defendant there in a private car, according to the prosecution case. The first man and the wanted person entered a ground-floor shop, where 60 Jellycat and Labubu toys worth more than HK$92,000 were removed and put in a nylon bag.
Staff later found the machines emptied, notified the machine owner and reported the thefts to police. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage before arresting the three men.
The prosecution said one defendant told police under caution that he had received HK$1,000 to HK$2,000 to steal for someone else. Another admitted driving people to the scene, while the third said he had received HK$1,000 and knew that a wanted person had instructed the driver to recruit others for the thefts.
The sentencing judge treated the premeditation, the use of targeted burglary tools and the involvement of at least four people as aggravating factors. The judge said the driver understood the plan clearly, increasing his culpability. The driver and the defendant who said he received HK$1,000 were each jailed for 26 months, while the man who said he received between HK$1,000 and HK$2,000 received 24 months.