An Australian man has received a fine and a suspended jail sentence in Hong Kong for repeatedly leaving restaurants without paying his bills. He was ordered to pay compensation to the establishments he defrauded.

An Australian man, who claimed to be a lawyer, has been fined HK$2,000 (US$255) and given a suspended sentence by a Hong Kong court for repeatedly leaving restaurants without paying. Samuel Anthony Monkivitch, 50, was also ordered to pay HK$2,039 in compensation to two Shangri-La hotels in Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as a Japanese restaurant, after skipping bills on four occasions between April 24 and May 5. Eastern Court heard on Friday that Monkivitch used various excuses to leave the...