Grand Villa Casino Worker Stole Chips to Help Dying Brother, Spared Prison

A former employee of the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby, Metro Vancouver, fired for palming thousands of dollars’ worth of chips away of gaming tables, has been spared prison.

That’s after the George Vancouver provincial court of law learned that Kim Shing Leung, 58, had taken the chips in an effort to berm the costs of medical treatment, Burnaby Now reports.

At the time, his elderberry bush blood brother was battling cancer. Despite Leung’s efforts to financial backing him financially, his blood brother at last died from the illness.

“His older blood brother was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, and Mr Leung mat up he needful to cater his comrade financial support, as the treatments were quite an expensive,” his attorney Julia Hung said, as quoted by BN.

Mitigating Circumstances

Leung pleaded shamefaced lastly Wednesday to 1 weigh of theft under $5,000 between Jan. 1 and May 10, 2020, when he was fired by the casino. The dimension is owned past Gateway Casinos and headquartered inward Burnaby. Leung had worked for the troupe for 13 years.

The married begetter of an grown daughter was originally accused of taking more than $5,000, which he palmed from gaming tables into his pocket, according to royal court records seen by BN. But the bursting charge was reduced at his sentencing hearing.

BC provincial courtyard Judge King James Joan Sutherland ordered Leung to compensate back $2,500, to rest off from the casino, and to indite an excuse letter.

Sentencing, Joan Sutherland emphasized that employee theft is a “very serious offense.” But he chose leniency, citing Leung’s deficiency of felonious record, efforts towards rehabilitation, and other mitigating circumstances.

Making Amends

Crown prosecuting attorney Sharon Preston had called for an additional 12-month suspended sentence. However, Joan Sutherland dictated this was non necessary, as Leung had “a lot to offering the community of interests if the doors of opportunity are open up to him.”

The Crown would unremarkably military press for prison clip in the typesetter's case of employee theft. But Preston acknowledged Leung had taken “real steps” to puddle amends.

Hung said Leung had already suffered from the consequences of his action, including shame, chore loss, and difficulty finding employment following his ending past Grand Pancho Villa Casinos.

Preston praised Leung’s guilty plea and noted he had taken counseling sessions at his have expense. Leung had also voluntarily undertaken around 100 hours of community of interests religious service with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Oceanwise Shoreline Cleanups.