A Hong Kong man has admitted he spiked bottled soft drinks with his urine and left them on supermarket shelves again and again for more than a year, calling it a “prank” that later turned into a major court case.
The man, Franklin Lo Kim-ngai (63), told the court he had been struggling with depression after his divorce and retirement. He is a former property agent.
The court heard he did this in Wellcome and ParknShop supermarkets across the city from July 21, 2024, to August 6, 2025. He opened bottles of Coca-Cola Plus and 7-Up, contaminated them, and then put them back among other drinks.
Lo pleaded guilty to administering a harmful substance with intent to injure, and also pleaded guilty to trying to commit the same offence in a second count. The offence can carry up to three years in prison under Hong Kong law.
His lawyer told the court that Lo had lost emotional support after his parents died. The lawyer also said Lo’s ex-wife and son moved abroad and stopped contacting him, which affected his mental health.
The court was told Lo started doing this after a quarrel with supermarket staff. He wanted to cause trouble for employees and said he thought it was a prank.
Before his arrest, the drinks company Swire Coca-Cola received several reports from different stores about bottles that had been contaminated. One of the cases mentioned in court involved a nine-year-old boy who became sick after drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola Plus bought from a Wellcome branch at Union Park Centre in Mong Kok on July 18, 2025.
Get the latest international news and global stories wherever you prefer.
Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.