By Vir B. Lumicao
A Filipina helper was sentenced today, Apr 18, to three
months in jail for stealing a platinum ring and other jewelry pieces from her
employer’s mother-in-law.
Her lawyer immediately said she will appeal the conviction.
Defendant Gladys Manuel stood calm and emotionless as Eastern
Court Magistrate Peter Yu, reading from a written judgment, said he was
convicting her based on the strong evidence against her.
The magistrate issued his verdict more than a month after the
trial on Mar 5 during which the alleged owner of the jewelry, Lee Man-ying, gave
evidence.
Manuel decided not to give evidence and the defense did not present
any witness.
Lee said she lost a 1.06 carat yellow diamond ring, a platinum
ring, a small piece of diamond, a pair of earrings with 0.6-carat and 0.7-carat
diamonds, and a pair of purple crystal earrings. She valued the gold ring at
$3,000 and the platinum ring at $6,600.
The magistrate gave credence to Lee’s testimony, saying he
found her honest and reliable.
During the trial, Lee said she took off the ring and the
pair of earrings after coming home from a party on Dec 12 and kept them in a
small plastic box in her bedroom. At the time, she said she had just returned
from a trip to the United
States
She told the court that before the left for the US
Manuel, meanwhile, went home to the Philippines
The helper returned to Hong Kong
on Jan 2 and the next day Lee asked her to accompany her to the pawnshop so she
could redeem the pawned jewelry.
Lee paid $1,700 to redeem the pawned items. Seeing the item
were hers, she called the police and Manuel was arrested. The officers found
the earrings in the maid’s bag.
The magistrate said he did not believe the maid’s claim that
the two rings and the earrings were hers. He also said he did not find it
unreasonable that Lee would call the police after seeing the pawned items were
hers.
In mitigation, Manuel’s lawyer said she was a single mother
with two daughters one aged 9, and the other who turned 2 today.
He asked for a very lenient sentence, saying that Manuel had
repaid the $1,700 redemption money. However, Yu said the case was a breach of
trust that called for an immediate custodial sentence.
He did not give any discount for the prescribed sentence of
three months’ jail.
The defense lawyer immediately applied for bail for the
helper so she could appeal the verdict in the High Court, but the magistrate
refused the application.
The lawyer said after the hearing that he would file the
appeal just the same even if his client would have served out her sentence by
the time the appeal is heard.
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