The SUN HK : DH jailed, ordered to redeem jewelry she stole

06 December 2023

The unusual penalty was imposed at Eastern Court

A Filipina domestic helper was today jailed for four months for stealing 11 pieces of jewelry, and then made to pay $17,650 by Jan. 31 to retrieve them from three pawnshops.

Geneva Tayong, 30 years old, had earlier pleaded guilty at Eastern Court to the theft of seven bangles and four pendants on several days last September.

Tayong was charged after her employer, Ng Suet-hung, found receipts issued by three pawnshops in Central for jewelry that were missing from her flat in Rhine Court, Bonham Road, Mid-Levels.

DETALYE

Tayong, who had been working for her employer since December 2019, was initially sentenced by Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui to six months’ imprisonment for violation of the Theft Ordinance. Because of her guilty plea, Magistrate Chui reduced that sentence by a third.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The issue of repayment arose after her lawyer said in mitigation that the stolen jewelry was not lost, because the pawnshops have confirmed they were holding them until they were repaid for the loans they extended.

This prompted Magistrate Chui to add to Tayong’s penalty the burden of paying to recover the jewelry.

Pindutin para sa detalye

But with doubts over her being allowed to stay in Hong Kong after serving her sentence – and thus her abilty to pay -- the burden of paying the amount by the January 31 deadline, will be borne by Tayong’s mother, who is also working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong.