An overstaying Filipino former domestic worker was sentenced
to 31 months in prison by a District Court judge on Dec 22 after he pleaded
guilty to 16 charges, including burglary, theft, and breach of Immigration
rules
Danilo T. Cayanong admitted his guilt before Judge Tim Casewell.
He earlier appeared before Judge A. Kwok on Dec 1 supposedly to admit his
guilt, but the judge deferred the plea-taking to Dec 22.
Cayanong pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary committed
from June 26 to Aug 12 in two villages along Clearwater Bay Road, Sai Kung; 12
charges of using a stolen HSBC bank card to withdraw $22,075 in cash between
July 26 and Aug. 12, and a charge of breach of condition of stay for overstaying
in Hong Kong since July 16, 2011
The prosecution said Cayanong trespassed into a house in Sun On
Village, Saikung, owned by his wife’s expatriate employer Christian Taylor, to
steal two keys that he used to enter a second house, in Tui Min Hoi New
Village. There he stole $11,000, an HSBC bank card issued to Taylor, and an
Octopus card.
On Aug 2, he began using the card, withdrawing $8,000 in four
transactions. How he managed to do it was not made clear in court. The next
day, he took $8,025 also in various amounts, then came back for $6,025 in three
transactions on Aug 4 and a final $3,000 on Aug 6 Police were alerted when Taylor discovered
the burglary. When Cayanong was apprehended on Aug 14, they found out he had
overstayed.
Judge Casewell imposed a three-year sentence for each of the
burglary cases to be served concurrently, two years each for the theft charges
to be served consecutively starting from the fifth month of the burglary
sentence, and one month for each of the four years he overstayed to be served
consecutively with the theft sentence
The prosecution said Cayanong and his wife had previously worked
for the same employer, but he was terminated in mid-June 2011. He reportedly
decided to stay on because he wanted to be with his wife.
The report noted that despite his illegal stay in Hong Kong, he
had not taken on any job and received support from his wife. - Vir B. Lumicao
