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| The helper was sentenced at Kowloon court |
A domestic helper was sentenced today to eight months in
prison after she pleaded guilty to stealing from her employer $81,100 in cash
and jewelry, much of which could no longer be retrieved.
Juliet Away, 39 years old, stood silently in the dock at
Kowloon City Court No. 1 as Magistrate Peter Yu gave her an initial sentence of 11 months but granted
her a three-month discount for her guilty plea.
“It’s a classic breach of trust case,” he said, as he
referred to a similar case in the past, which he used as guide for the
sentence. “You worked as a domestic helper but on various occasions, you stole
from your employer.”
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| TAWAG NA! |
According to the police complaint, the employer received calls from debt collectors shortly before the thefts began on May
13, 2023, when $3,100 in cash went missing from her flat on
Broadcast Drive, Kowloon Tong.
When she confronted Away, the latter admitted stealing the
money and signed a promissory note saying she would repay the amount on
installment.
However, over the following nine months until Feb 3 this year, the employer noticed that some of her jewelry went missing: two platinum rings, one diamond ring, one diamond necklace, one pair of diamond earrings and one diamond bracelet.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
When confronted, Away yielded pawnshop receipts for some of
the items.
Of the total $81,100 stolen, $61,100 could no longer be retrieved. This amount was made up of the $3,100 cash which remained unpaid, plus $58,000 worth of jewelry that could no longer be retrieved because their receipts were lost or their terms had expired and were thus sold on auction, the complaint said.
Away’s defense lawyer said she had no means to pay them
back.
In mitigation, the lawyer said Away was remorseful and wanted
to apologize to her employer.
She said the Filipina fell deep in debt after her house in
the Philippine burned down and she had it rebuilt with borrowed money.
She soon failed to repay her loans on time, resulting in even
her employer receiving calls from collectors.
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