Filipino in car collision denies driving dangerously

 

A Filipino admitted yesterday, Jan. 11, to causing a collision with a car whose driver was injured, but pleaded not guilty to a charge that he was driving dangerously.

Bernardo Bernandino, 63 years old, made the stand when he appeared in Shatin Court, setting off a trial that starts March 3.

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Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan told both prosecution and defense to submit a signed statement of agreed facts, along with an evidence list, before the pre-prial review on Feb. 23.

In the meantime, she extended Bernandino’s bail of $5,000.

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Bernandino is accused of dangerous driving causing grevious bodily harm, which is punishable under the Road Traffic Ordinance with fine of up to $50,000 and imprisonment of up to seven years.

He was driving a private car when it collided with another, causing injuries to the other driver, on April 6, 2023 at Hau Tei Square in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, according to a police report on the incident.

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The injured driver, Wong Lai Kiu, will be among those who will be asked to testify, the prosecution  said. A CCTV from a nearby shop will be also used as evidence.

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Filipina DH charged with laundering $577k cash

 

The accused was charged with the offence at Eastern Court

A Filipina domestic helper appeared in court for the first time Thursday, charged with handling cash obtained illegally totaling $577,923, over 18 days more than four years ago.

It would appear that it took that long for Nerivy B. Toledo, 35 years old, to be charged in court because she just surrendered to authorities.

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The prosecution told the magistrate at Eastern Court that it was ready for plea but counsel for Tolentino asked for the case to be adjourned until Feb 29 to secure additional documents and to seek further legal advice.

The prosecution relented, but asked for additional bail conditions for Toledo.

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After being told that the accused was on bail for $500 the magistrate said this was not enough, and raised it to $2,500.

In addition, she told Toledo to surrender her Philippine passport by 4pm, report to the Tseung Kwan O police station every Friday, between 6 and 9pm, not leave Hong Kong, and reside in the address she gave to court.

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She was also told to go to the Duty Lawyer Service after putting up her bail, so she could get legal advice.

According to the charge sheet, Toledo dealt with a total sum of $577,933 between July 11 to 29, 2019, knowing or having reasonable ground to believe that the money, in whole or in part, was proceeds of a crime.

Unlike similar cases brought to court in recent months where the alleged illicit money was transferred through the ATM cards of the defendants, no mention was made in this case of a bank account being used, suggesting that cash was involved.

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2 assault cases in Central involving Filipinos adjourned

 

Wide shot of Chater Road where the assault allegedly happened

A Filipino bar tender charged with assaulting a fellow Filipino on Chater Road today pleaded not guilty to the offence when he appeared before Magistrate Ivy Chui in Eastern Court.

Mark Anthony Malunao, 35, entered his plea after being read the particulars of the charge of assault occasioning bodily harm filed against him.

He is accused of assaulting Edgardo A. Sumang at the bus stop along Chater Road on July 9 last year,  a Sunday, so the street was  closed to vehicular traffic.

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Magistrate Ivy Chui set down the trial date for Feb. 7, and extended Malunao’s bail of $500 until then.

The prosecutor said it will present four witnesses, while the defense will have two, including the accused.

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Chui told Malunao to go directly to the Duty Lawyer Service after renewing his bail so he could secure the services of counsel during his trial.

Previously, the defendant showed up in court without legal representation at least twice, prompting the magistrate to warn him that if he appeared again without a lawyer the next time he would have to defend himself as the case had dragged on for too long.

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In a separate court, a domestic worker was formally charged with assaulting two fellow Filipinas, including a friend, outside a building on one of Central’s alleys on Nov 5 last year.

No plea was taken from Julie G. Balacuit, 47, and she was allowed to post a $500 bail until her next court appearance on Mar 7.

She was accused of assaulting Rodelia Dangayo and an unknown female outside no 21 Li Yuen Street in Central.

The prosecutor asked for an 8-week adjournment to secure the medical report of the alleged victim, and for the accused to seek legal advice.

The magistrate told Balaquit that while on bail she should not approach or speak with the prosecution witnesses.

 

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Gov’t allays fear over pork safety, supply in wake of swine flu report

 

The government today told the public not to be concerned over a report that a pig farm in Yuen Long had tested positive for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, nor should they worry about the supply of pork after the farm’s 1,400 pigs are culled this week.

 “ASF is not a zoonotic disease and will not infect humans, hence does not present any human health and food safety risk,” the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today.

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“Regardless of whether the pigs are infected with ASF, pork cooked thoroughly is safe for consumption. Members of the public do not need to be concerned,” it added.

“The present case does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs,” AFCD added.

In a report, AFCD said the present ASF case was discovered because of a proactive emergency measure on handling dead pigs on local pig farms.

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Under this measure, which has been in effect since January 3, all farms are required to collect and submit to the AFCD nasal swab samples from pig carcasses for ASF virus testing. The carcasses can only leave the farms upon confirmation of a negative result.

AFCD staff inspected a licensed pig farm in San Tin, Yuen Long on January 9, collected 32 samples from pigs and tests found one of the samples positive for the ASF virus.

The AFCD has immediately suspended transportation of any pigs from the farm and arranged for the culling of all its pigs this week. It has also imposed a 3-kilometer monitoring zone around the farm; so far, this has not turned up any new positive samples.

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 “The discovery of pigs infected with ASF on the farm demonstrates that the measure can proactively curb the spread of the virus and effectively stop pigs infected with the ASF virus from leaving the farm, thereby interrupting the transmission of the virus among local pig farms,” it said.

An AFCD spokesman also said positive cases should be promptly handled, as ASF is very lethal to pigs.

“If the spread is not contained, a large number of pigs will die and hence seriously impacting pig farmers and the pig rearing industry,” the spokesman said.

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Man accused of assaulting wife told to stay away from her

 

The accused was warned by the magistrate not to contact his wife while he's on bail

A Filipino man who was accused in court on Monday of assaulting his wife was allowed to post bail but was told to stay away from their Wan Chai flat where the alleged incident happened.

Bienvenido G. Villanueva, Jr., 51, was told by Magistrate Ivy Chui that he must give another address to the court before 12 noon the next day as part of his bail conditions.

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He was charged with one count of assault occasioning bodily harm for allegedly hurting his wife, Bernadette, in the flat they shared on Fook Gay Mansion on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai on Jan 6.

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He was released on $500 bail until the next hearing of the case on Feb. 5.

The prosecutor said they would not oppose bail because Villanueva had a clear record. He was also said to be gainfully employed as a delivery personnel earning $15,000 a month.

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Magistrate Chui told Villanueva that until the case is resolved, he must not contact his wife and to stay away from the flat that they shared. He should also not leave Hong Kong, reside at the new address he would furnish the court, and report to the Wan Chai police station every Saturday, between 6 to 9pm.

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Both sides agreed to the adjournment of the case to give the police more time to conduct further investigation.

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$119 chocolates cost DH $2,000

 

(Photo from Google Maps)

Three packs of chocolates worth $119.70 became 17 times more expensive for a Filipina domestic helper after she pleaded guilty to shoplifting them from a grocery store.

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Maribel Larioza, 54 years old, was fined $2,000 in West Kowloon Court today for theft.

This was exactly the amount she posted as bail to avoid being detained while the case was being heard.

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Principal Magistrate Don So imposed the penalty after noting that Larioza had paid for candies she had also bought, but not the chocolates.

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Larioza was charged after she took the chocolates without paying, from a ParkNShop store in Mei Foo Sun Chuen in Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon on June 17, 2023.

She was charged with violating Section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.

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Friends who came with her to the court expressed relief that she was not jailed.

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Ex-DH who slept in parks admits overstay, denies theft

 

Filipina was arrested at dawn in this neighborhood. 

A Filipina domestic helper who had been sleeping in a park in Sham Shui Po for two months after her employer terminated her contract, pleaded guilty to overstaying when she appeared today at the West Kowloon Court.

But F. Lacaba, 35 years old, pleaded not guilty to the theft of an Octopus card containing $70 in value, saying she had just picked it up and was intending to return it to the nearby MTR station that morning.

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Magistrate Jason Wan thus withheld her sentence for the first offense and scheduled a trial on the second case for Jan. 22, so that he could hand down his decision on the two cases at the same time.

Magistrate Wan was responding to a request  by Lacaba’s duty lawyer for the earliest possible trial date because she had been in detention for almost two months, which may exceed the prescribed punishment for a theft of $70 -- assuming she is found guilty.

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Lacaba was arrested at 5:03 am last Nov. 23 after she was spotted by a police officer on patrol on Yu Chao St., Sham Shui Po.

When the officers found a personalized Octopus card in another person’s name among her possessions, they arrested her and took her to the nearby police station.

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During investigation, Lacaba said she had just found the Octopus card and was intending to return it to the Sham Shui Po MTR station, but it was still closed.

Police contacted the owner who said the cash value was intact, showing that she never used the card.

Lacaba was working as a domestic helper whose contract started on April 15, 2023. However, her employer terminated her on Sept. 24, 2023, or five months after she started working.

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She was unable to find a new employer within the two weeks she was allowed to stay on, and had been sleeping at a park at night until she was arrested.

Her lawyer said she did not apply for bail because she had nowhere to stay.

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