Employer challenged on claim her Filipina ex-DH took her nude photo

 

The trial hearing will resume on April 17

A local housewife faced intense questioning at Eastern Court on Tuesday over her claim that a Filipina who used to work for her as a domestic helper had secretly taken a photo while she was taking a bath after a drunken spree.

The employer who testified behind a partition and was referred to only as “X,” had told the court that Geraldine M. Albarico a 42-year-old wife and mother whom she sacked in early 2024, had surreptitiously taken a picture showing one of X's breasts as she lay in the bathtub.

X, who is 45 years old,  said she had just gone home at past midnight on that day after getting drunk during an outing with her husband and some friends. She got so drunk she became incontinent and had to wash up on arriving home. She claimed Albarico was in the bathroom giving her 10-year-old son a bath when she got in.

X alleged that after taking the nude photo with the phone she was lent for family chats, Albarico sent it to her Philippine number. X said she came to know about this only when she began scrolling through the photos in the phone about four to five months after sacking the helper.

By then, Albarico had already started working for a new employer in Hong Kong. She was about to fly back to the Philippines for a short vacation to attend her son’s graduation when she was detained at Hong Kong Airport as a result of  X’s complaint.

On cross-examination, Albrarico’s lawyer put it to X that no such photo existed because if it did, she would have shown it to the police when she filed her complaint against her former maid.

“You did not take it to the police because such a photo did not exist,” said the lawyer. “Either you’re making things up or your memory was bad.” X disagreed.

The lawyer also suggested to X that the reason she made up the allegation was because Albarico refused to sign another contract with her, despite her salary being raised from $6,000 to $6,500 a month. When she declined to renew, X terminated their contract with only two months to go.

X again disagreed, saying the reason she terminated the contract was because of the helper’s poor performance and dishonesty. “There were items that went missing and we suspected that she stole them,” X said.

To this, the lawyer immediately said, “But you did not report that to the police despite having already filed a complaint against her?”

X said it was because it was a totally different matter from what she had complained about.

Geraldine tells a friend how she used to wash and scrub X's hair

The court heard that there were about 500 photos in the family phone, mostly showing Albarico  washing X’s hair and applying oil on her scalp, as well as performing “gua sha” – a traditional Chinese method of healing that involves scraping the skin – on the employer.

Among these photos was one that partly showed X’s buttocks and was taken from behind while Albarico was performing one of such chores. But as the defense lawyer pointed out, there was  no photo that showed X’s left breast, which she used to support her allegations against Abarico.

X's complaint led prosecutors to file a case of voyeurism against Albarico, an act contrary to section 159AAB (1) and (3) of the Crimes Ordinance.

However, the charge sheet did not state the exact date and nature of the alleged offence, saying it happened on an unknown date between Sept 1, 2023 and Feb 25, 2024 inside the bathroom of a flat in La Marina, Aberdeen.

Albarico is charged with having “surreptitiously recorded Female X in a place in which the said Female X could reasonably be expected to be nude, to reveal an intimate part, or to be doing an intimate act, and the said Female X was in circumstances that gave rise to a reasonable expectation of privacy, and the said (Albarico) disregarded whether the said Female X consented to being recorded.”

The part-heard case that was originally set to wrap up in one day will resume on April 17, during which Albarico is set to testify in her defense.

 

Tourist gets suspended sentence for 9-month overstay

 

Shatin Court

A Filipino tourist who remained in Hong Kong for nine months and applied for asylum to extend his stay, was given a 16-day sentence, suspended for one year, after pleading guilty to overstaying at Shatin Court today, April 1.

Carlos Pilapil, 43 years old, had been charged with breach of condition of stay, contrary to section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance.

The decision by acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong, on a complaint by the Immigration Department, would mean that Pilapil will not be jailed unless he commits another offense within one year.

Basahin ang detalye!

However, this conviction will remain on his record.

Pilapil was limited in his stay in Hong Kong until 27 July 2023, after being permitted to land in Hong Kong by an Immigration Officer by virtue of section 11 of the Immigration Ordinance.

However, he violated this condition of stay and remained in Hong Kong until April 30, 2024, when he applied for non-recognizance so he would not be sent back to the Philippines.

DH slapped with $1,600 fine for shoplifting $644 worth of goods

 

First victim was PARK'nShop in Lok Fu (Photo from Wikipedia)

A Filipina who shoplifted HK$624 and HK$19.90 (for a total of $643.90) worth of products from two shops, was fined $800 for each of the two counts of thefts after she pleaded guilty today, April 1, at Kowloon City Court.

Emefreil B. Seguiza, a 37-year-old domestic helper, received the sentence from Magistrate Tsang Chung-yiu for two counts of violation of section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.

Basahin ang detalye!

Biendema initially stole one bottle of milk, one pack of egg, one bottle of peanut butter, two bottles of coffee power, one bottle of cocoa, nine packs of chocolate and one box of yoghurt, amounting to HK$624 from a PARK'n Shop on Lok Fu Place, 198 Junction Road, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon on Jan. 19, 2026.

She then went to a Kai Bo Food Supermarket at Fu Mou Street Market, Wang Tau Hom Estate, Wong Tai Sin, and stole a bottle of peanut butter priced at HK$19.90.

It was only after the second theft that she was caught and arrested.

Theft is punishable with a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment. But minor of first-offence shop thefts often result in non-custodial sentences.

Filipina summoned to court over dog bite

 

Dogs must be on a leash or under control when out in public (File photo)

A Filipina was ordered to appear in Kwun Tong Magistrate’s Court today, Tuesday,  after a dog in her care allegedly bit someone near the tennis court at Marina Cove in Sai Kung nearly two years ago.

Named in two summonses was Mae P. Geral, 41, said to be the keeper of a male chocolate poodle which bit victim Kusnul-Mudayanti on Sept. 13, 2024.

The case has been set down for mention again on June 9.

Basahin ang detalye!

The first summons alleged that Geral allowed the dog to wander in a public place while not securely held on a leash of not more than 2 meters in length.

The second summons alleged that the biting incident happened while the dog “was not on a leash or under control” in a place “from which it may reasonably be expected to wander into a public area.”

Both offences were said to be in violation of Section 25(1) of Rabies Ordinance, Cap 421.

Under this section, a keeper of a dog which is in a public place in contravention of the Ordinance (for example, without a leash) and bites a person, is guilty of an offence, for which the maximum penalty is a fine of $10,000.

However, the dog keeper may use as a defense the argument that all reasonable measures were taken to prevent the biting.

 

Jealous grandma jailed after knifing partner

 

The couple lived in this block (Google Maps photo)

A 74-year-old Filipina former singer who knifed her partner in a fit of jealousy, was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to wounding today at Kowloon City Court.

Lourdes Calleja, who receives an elderly allowance of P4,345 monthly from the Hong Kong government, had been charged with with violating section 19 of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.

In sentencing, Magistrate Tsang Chung-yiu chose a starting point of nine months in jail and gave her a three-month discount for her guilty plea.

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The case brief said Calleja’s outburst on Sept. 11, 2025, at their flat in Wei Chien Court on Long Yuet Street, Hung Hom, came after she confirmed that her partner Guillermo Fuego Jr. was having an affair.

Fuego was wounded with a knife in the right lower abdomen and was taken to hospital for treatment.

In mitigation, her lawyer said Calleja, stabbed her partner in a spur of the moment.

She said she also wanted to reconcile with the victim.

Philippine peso falls to new all-time low of 60.69 to USD

 

Each USD now equals to Php60.69

The Philippine peso hit a fresh record low today, Monday, closing at Php60.69 to the US dollar, surpassing the previous low of Php60.55 set just three days ago.

The peso even dipped to an intraday low of Php60.84 before rising slightly before the close.

As the HK dollar is pegged to the US dollar, this meant a corresponding drop in the peso value, with the latest exchange rate listed as Php7.76 to the HK dollar.

This marked the seventh record low for the Philippine currency this month alone, driven by the surging global oil prices and a strong dollar amid fears of a prolonged, full-scale war in the Middle East.

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The weakening currency has driven up local fuel prices as the country began buying up supplies from abroad to ensure the gas pumps do not run dry, and cause further havoc on the economy.

Analysts warn that if tensions in the Middle East do not ease up soon, the peso could drop to as low as Php61 to the greenback.

Fears that the war would escalate mounted as Yemen’s Houthi rebels joined the fray Saturday, firing a number of cruise missiles and drones at key sites in Israel.

This raised concern about the war spreading to the Red Sea, where Saudi Arabia has rerouted much of its oil exports to avoid the Strait of Hormuz which Iran has sealed off to all but a few allies that use it to transport crude and gas supplies.

Pinay who found bag on pavement fined $2k for theft

 

Place where handbag was picked up (Google Maps photo) 

A domestic helper who picked up a handbag left on a pavement in Hung Hom and was charged with theft after she was identified on CCTV footage, was fined $2,000 today after she pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Court.

Maritess K., 59 years old, admitted taking the black bag on Oct. 1, 2025, when she found it beside plants outside 17 Lo Lung Hang Street, Hung Hom, Kowloon.

It turned out that the bag was left by its owner, Chong Suet Yee, to take pictures of a cat. When she returned, the bag was missing.

Basahin ang detalye!

Maritess was identified in the subsequent review of CCTV footage.

When she was traced, she returned the bag with all its contents -- one Hong Kong Identity Card, one Home Return Permit, one HSBC debit card, two HSBC VISA cards, cash $1,000-HKD, two lipsticks and one hair clip, total value $1,750-HKD.

These items, along with the clothes she was wearing during the theft, were presented as evidence in the case of violation of section 9 of the Theft Ordinance, which provides that “Any person who commits theft shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for 10 years.”

Acting Principal Magistrate Peony Wong described the offense as “theft by finding”. She said the value of the stolen goods were “not specially high” and they were returned to the owner after three days.

Maritess' lawyer said she arrived in Hong Kong as a domestic helper in 2011.

2 unemployed Filipinas face drug charges

 

Entrance to Mirador Mansion

Two unemployed Filipinas are in jail, waiting for the resumption of drug charges filed against them by the Customs and Excise Department at Tuen Mun Court.

Marianne Fontanilla, 45 years old, and Micah Layug, 28, appeared Thursday (March 26) before Acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang Siu-hung, who remanded them in jail until the next hearing on April 28.

The two were co-respondents in the first charge of attempting to traffic in a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 4(1) (a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance  and Section 159G of the Crimes Ordinance.

PINDUTIN DITO

The charge arose from their alleged attempt on Dec. 18, 2025 to sell 20.8 kilos of liquid methamphetamine to an undercover agent at Yuen Long Post Office, in Hop Yick Plaza, No. 23 Tai Tong Road, Yuen Long.

Fontanilla was also charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug after a search on Dec 19 of Room 1249 of Mirador Mansion, in Tsim Sha Tsui where she was staying, yielded more drugs. 

She allegedly trafficked eight cannabis oil capsules, 3.5 grams of cannabis buds, 3 grams of cocaine, 261.5 grams of crack cocaine, 18 zip lock bags with drug traces, 1 grinder with cannabis traces and 1 cigarette pack with drug traces.

Basahin ang detalye!

In the third charge, Fontanilla was accused of possession of apparatus fit and intended for the smoking of a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 36(1) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

The apparatus, consisting of 2 smoking devices with cannabis oil capsules, were also found at Room 1249 of Mirador Mansion.

Customs agents estimated the total value of the drugs haul to be around HK$10 million. 

Make-up artist among 5 arrested in anti-illegal work operations

 

A suspected illegal worker is taken away for questioning

After cracking down on foreign domestic helpers providing massage and manicure services, Immigration officers are now on the lookout for foreigners offering make-up services.

A Mainland woman who offered her make-up services through online advertisements was among five people arrested in the latest week-long operation mounted by the Immigration Department to counter illegal work.

PINDUTIN DITO

Officers disguised as customers contacted the 27-year-old makeup artist to book her services, then arrested her during a sting operation.

Four other suspected illegal workers and one suspected aider and abettor were arrested in the citywide operations that targeted restaurants, retail stores, flats under renovation and other places, from March 20 to 26.

Basahin ang detalye!

The suspected illegal workers comprised one man and two women, aged 35 to 37. The man was reportedly found with a forged HK identity card.

Another man aged 31 was also arrested on suspicion of abetting the illegal employment.

Illegal work is a serious offence in Hong Kong, for which the maximum sentence that may be imposed is two years in jail and a fine of HK$50,000. Visitors and workers under foreign domestic helper visas fall under this category.

If the worker committed other violations, like overstaying a visa or holding a non-refoulement document that prohibits employment in Hong Kong, the maximum jail term is three years in jail.

Aiders and abettors are similarly punished under Hong Kong laws.

Those found in possession of fake identity documents face the more severe penalty of imprisonment for up to 10 years.

 

Filipina DH jailed for 1 year for laundering HK$760k

 

The Eastern Magistrates' Court 

For allowing more than $760,000  in crime money pass through her bank account - a process called money laundering - a Filipina is now in jail for a year.

Crishelle Asuncion, 39 years old, was imprisoned Friday, March 27, after she pleaded guilty to money laundering at Eastern Court.

PINDUTIN DITO

The sentence is net of the one-third discount, from  the 18-month starting point, given to those who plead guilty.

The early admission prompted Principal Magistrate David Cheung to cancel her next hearing date scheduled for May 8.

Basahin ang detalye!

Asuncion was charged by the Police Financial Investigation Division last Oct. 22 with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense,contrary to sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The charge arose from the deposits and withdrawals totaling $760,270.13 that went into her ZA Bank account between Oct. 30, 2020 and March 25, 2021.

The police said she dealt with the money, together with an unknown person, that was “in whole or in part directly or indirectly represented any person's proceeds of an indictable offense,” as described by the ordinance.

French gets suspended sentence for illegally employing Filipina

 

Immigration Department

A French national got off lightly after he pleaded guilty Friday, at Shatin Court to employing one Filipina who was not lawfully employable.

Christophe Daures, 49 years old, was sentenced by Magistrate Raymond Wong to three months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, for illegally employing Jane D. Bautista on Oct. 28, 2024, contrary to section 171(1) (b) of the Immigration Ordinance.

PINDUTIN DITO

No details of the illegal employment were made in the charge sheet.

With this sentence, Daures will not be jailed immediately, unless he commits another offense within the next 18 months, in which case his sentence kicks in along with the penalty for the new offense.

Basahin ang detalye!

Aures was also charged by the Immigration Department with employing a second Filipina, Ma. Victoria Amazona, on Oct. 28 2023, but the prosecution later withdrew the charge.

Under the Ordinance employing people not legally employable, will incur the employer the maximum of $500,000 and imprisonment for 10 years.

 

 

Indo DH held for alleged assault of 10-month-old ward

 

The case is being heard at Fanling Court

An Indonesian domestic helper was remanded in custody after appearing at Fanling Magistrates Court on Thursday on charges of assaulting a 10-month-old baby boy in her care.

Eva-yulianti Fitri, 34 years old, is facing a charge of assault by those in charge of a child or young person.

No plea was taken and Fitri was sent back to jail until the next hearing of her case on May 21 after the magistrate rejected her bail application. But she was told she can apply for a bail review in eight days.

Basahin ang detalye!

Prosecution had asked for a postponement to allow time for a medical report on the infant to be obtained.

The alleged assault took place on Mar 23 inside a flat at Mayfair By the Sea at Pak Shek Kok. The helper is accused of willfully assaulting a child  “in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering,”

No details of the alleged assault were provided in the charge sheet.

The maximum penalty for the offence is 14 years' imprisonment.

Indonesian DH arrested over death of newborn baby

 

The infant was found stuffed in a rubbish bin at Lee Theatre Plaza

Hong Kong Police have arrested a 34-year-old Indonesian domestic worker on suspicion of abandoning her newborn baby boy who was found inside a toilet rubbish bin Causeway Bay on Monday, and later declared dead in a hospital.

The Indonesian woman was reportedly arrested in Eastern district on Thursday. She remains in custody while an investigation is carried out.

Basahin ang detalye!

A cleaner found the infant – with its umbilical cord still attached - inside the rubbish bin in a toilet at The Starview Chinese restaurant at Lee Theatre Plaza in Causeway Bay on Monday afternoon.

The baby was rushed to Ruttonjee hospital in Wan Chai but was declared dead on arrival.

Following a three-day inquiry, the police took the Indonesian woman into custody.

The case was initially classified as infanticide and an investigation is continuing.

 

Scammers getting better but target victims also getting smarter

 

If you're sent this picture by someone wooing you online, run!

It’s a tale as old as time, but the storytelling has gotten better, especially with the use of technology such as AI. Despite this, would-be victims are not as easily fooled anymore.

This was true in the case of  “Y,” a Filipina domestic helper in Hong Kong who told The SUN how she had been tricked into sending money to two men she met on separate dating sites a week ago. Luckily she realized soon enough that the men were both swindling her.

Y said she lost a total of HK$700 that she sent through iTunes (Apple) gift cards to the men who asked for help because they were both surprisingly held up at Hong Kong airport on their way to meet her.

Basahin ang detalye!

(The iTunes cards are often preferred by scammers as a mode of money transfer because once the victim provides the code at the back of the card the funds can be spent instantly, leaving no trace of the person who cashed it in).

But shortly after sending cash to the two, Y felt something was awry, and decided to cut off clean.

It was all because both men claimed to have stopped at the airport after they decided to fly in to see her. Both needed money sent to them so they could call get their relatives to bail them out.

Y hesitated at first, but one of the men who his name as Nelson Martin, began professing how much he loved her, and that it would take only little for her to help him get out of the tight fix he found himself in.

Y said she gave in to his request only because she had – or thought she had – already chatted with him online.

Martin who claimed to be an officer of the US army told her he was at the frontline fighting for Ukraine in its war against Russia, and even sent her gory photos of dead soldiers being thrown into trenches while he along with a few other men, tried to hold the enemy at bay.

Y at first insisted Martin was American, saying they had already chatted through video, until she was told the area code of the telephone number he had used to woo her was registered in Nigeria. She also reluctantly agreed, on hindsight, that the guy she was chatting with online was not really responsive, but merely kept mouthing words meant to show how smitten he was with her.

The realization that she had been played came when someone supposedly from Immigration Department sent her a text message asking why she allowed her boyfriend to try and enter Hong Kong with guns and large amounts of cash.

Photo of a gun that Martin allegedly tried to bring in, along with loads of cash

To make the story more believable, the man on the other line sent her a photo of the pistol supposedly seized at the airport, along with the message: “How can you allow him to enter into this country with very big amounts of money and a pistol..”

Shocked, Y decided to block the number used by the supposed agent, and end her involvement with Martin.

But there was another man in another dating site who also instantly fell for her, and immediately told her he would soon be traveling to Hong Kong to see her.

Crude slip supposedly showing why 'Pedro Oscar' was held at the airport 

On the day of his supposed arrival in Hong Kong, the guy who gave his name as “Pedro Oscar” kept sending videos of HK airport to Y, but never appeared in any of them. Instead he sent photos  of a man in a gaily printed shirt and a top hat posing in front of what looked like a part of HK Airport.

Then – surprise – he too was supposedly stopped from entering for not having a “travel permit.” As proof, he sent a very crude-looking piece of paper in which the name “immigration department hong kong” (all in lower case) was written on the letter head, and below it, written by hand, also in small letter, the words “no travel permit.”

Y again sent money through an iTunes card, but then found out he could no longer contact “Oscar.”

In the end, she decided to ask The SUN to help tell her story so other Filipinas may not be duped the same way. She took comfort in knowing that the money she sent to the scammers was small compared to what many other love scam victims had foolishly lost.

Pinay in jail before plea in 2 drug charges

 

Neighborhood in which Filipina was arrested (Google Maps photo)

A Filipina asylum seeker is back in jail after two drug trafficking charges against her were adjourned by the Eastern Court for plea on May 12.

Joanne Miniano,  43 years old, was charged with two counts of trafficking in a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 4(1) (a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance Principal.

In a hearing on Tuesdy (March 24), Magistrate David Cheung took note of the anti-triad police complaint that said the two instances took place in Phoenix Apartments on Lee Garden Road, Causeway Bay on Aug. 19, 2025.

Basahin ang detalye!

In the first charge, Miniano is accused of selling one cartridge containing 0.48 grams of a liquid containing 0.42 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol (a tetrahydro derivative of cannabinol) at the stairase n the 8th floor of Phoenix Apartments.

In the second charge, she is accused of selling 59 cartridges containing a total of 83.0 grams of a liquid containing 1.17 grams of butomidate (a compound structurally derived from etomidate by replacement of the ethoxycarbonyl by other alkoxycarbonyl group), i cartridge containing 1.43 grams of a liquid containing 0.01 grams of butomidate , 61 cartridges containing a total of 81.8 grams of a liquid containing 1.76 grams of butomidate, 8 cartridges containing a total of 11:2 grams of a liquid containing 0.29 grams of butomidate, 3 cartridges containing a total of 3.92 grams of a liquid containing 0.09 grams of butomidate, 6 cartridges containing a total of 8.78 grams of a liquid containing 0.11 grams of butomidate and 0.01 grammes of deschloro-N-ethyl-ketamine (a compound structurally derived from 2-amino-2-phenylcyclohexanone by substitution at the nitrogen atom with an alkyl group), 14 plastic bags containing a total of 487 grams of a solid containing 1.49 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol (a derivative of cannabinol); and 1 cartridge containing 0.41 grams of a liquid containing 0.37 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol.

She allegedly trafficked the dangerous drugs at Room E, Flat J on the eighth floor of Phoenix Apartments.

 

Marcos declares ‘energy emergency’ amid global oil shortage

Marcos signs EO 110 which will roll out emergency measures to respond to the looming crisis

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has declared a national energy emergency amid the global oil supply shortage sparked by escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Marcos signed Executive Order 110 to roll out urgent measures to secure energy supply, protect the economy and speed up the shift to renewable energy while mitigating the impact on ordinary people.

Through EO 110, a group chaired by the President called the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (Uplift) will be set up to cushion the impact of the energy crisis.  

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Uplift will ensure the availability of domestic energy supply, uninterrupted delivery of essential services, continuity of economic activity and protection of vulnerable sectors.

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Committee members include the Executive Secretary and the secretaries of the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Social Welfare, Agriculture, Finance, Budget and Economy.

The committee will monitor the supply and distribution of fuel, food, medicines and other essential goods, while ensuring public transportation, utility and healthcare services continue as normal.

It will also coordinate efforts to maintain economic stability, streamline government processes and develop long-term strategies to reduce dependence on petroleum products such as promoting the use of electric vehicles in public transport.

Marcos said that disruptions in critical supply routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, threaten global oil production and transportation, and pose risks to the country’s security.

There is thus a need to declare a state of national energy emergency to enable the government to implement coordinated measures to ensure a stable and adequate energy supply while mitigating the impact on the economy.

“As a net importer of petroleum products, the Philippines remains highly dependent on external sources of fuel supply and is therefore vulnerable to disruptions in global oil production and transportation, which may affect the availability and timely delivery of petroleum products necessary to sustain domestic energy requirements,” the order read

“The Secretary of Energy has determined that the foregoing circumstances pose an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply and that urgent measures are necessary to ensure the stability and adequacy of the country’s energy supply,” it added.

Concerned agencies are directed to implement measures to cushion the impact of the fuel shortages, while the private sector, civil society organizations and other stakeholders are urged to partner with government to provide logistical and other support measures to help vulnerable sectors cope with the downturn.

 

Swedish businessman convicted of raping domestic helper loses appeal

 

Ekstrom was allowed bail pending appeal (HK Free Press photo)

A Swedish businessman was sent back to jail Tuesday after he lost his appeal against his conviction for raping his Nepalese domestic helper.

The Court of Appeal ordered Patrik Tobias Ekstrom returned to prison as he was out on bail pending his appeal.

Ekstrom was sentenced to seven years in prison in August 2024 after a jury unanimously declared him guilty on one count of rape and one of buggery of the helper identified only as “X,”, in the incident that happened inside his bedroom Oct. 27, 2022.

Basahin ang detalye!

This was despite his claim that the sexual acts were consensual, and that the helper had entered his bedroom willingly.

He also denied threatening to kill X if she did not agree to having sex with him.

In appealing against his sentence, Ekstrom argued through his lawyer that the trial judge failed to properly instruct the jury about X’s claim that the employer had “also done this to Mohini”, referring to his former domestic helper.

This claim could have made the jury think that Ekstrom had raped both helpers, when in fact, it was mere hearsay, said the defense lawyer.

The lawyer also tried to argue that the judge erred in admitting as evidence voice messages sent by X to Ekstrom’s wife, who was abroad at the time, after the rape.

In those messages, not once did X tell her female employer that she was raped, so the judge should not have allowed them to form part of the evidence, said the lawyer. 

But the appeal judges disagreed, saying those claimed errors did not materially affect the outcome of the case  

X told the court that on the day of the incident Ekstrom returned to his Shek O home looking drunk and forced her into his bedroom, and raped her.

At the time, Ekstrom’s wife and three children were in Japan.

In sentencing, Judge Derek Chan cited a psychological report on Ekstrom which said his chances of committing another sexual offence was on “the high end of the moderate risk.”

Another Pinay to DC for laundering $4M

Another Filipina domestic helper was sent to the District Court to face a charge of money laundering because her bank account had been used as depository for $4 million raised from crime.

Daisy Pueyo, 43 years old, was charged before the Fanling Court with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offense, contrary to section 25(1) and (3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The charge arose from deposits and withdrawals of crime money that amounted to $4,001,813.35 in her Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited account between Jan. 15, 2024 and April 30, 2024.

Basahin ang detalye!

It was alleged in an amended complaint filed by police on  March 20 that she managed her account with a person known as Shiela Marquez.

Acting Principal Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han, scheduled Pueyo’s appearance at District Court for April 9.

In the meantime, the magistrate remanded her back to jail custody.