 |
| The two were charged in Kowloon City court |
By Vir B. Lumicao
Two Filipina helpers who figured in a fight that left one
scalded on Oct 1 were refused bail after being charged in Kowloon City Court on
Oct 3, one with “wounding” and the other, “assault occasioning bodily harm.”
The two, Priscilla Salazar Yra and Belinda Fajardo
Anastacio, got into further trouble when the lady prosecutor said their common
employer was going to terminate their job contracts as a result of the fight.
Magistrate Woo Huey-fang adjourned the hearing until Oct 31
and ordered the two Filipinas to remain detained at the lady prosecutor’s
recommendation.
The prosecutor said she objected to granting bail to both
defendants because of the seriousness of their offenses and strong evidence
against them.
She said the defendants got into a fight while arguing over
work matters at around 10:30am on Oct 1 in unit F, 43rd floor, Tower
2 at The Harbour Side, a luxury residential estate in Yaumatei. Their employers
were on a holiday in Thailand
 |
| They fought in a flat in Harbourside while their employers were on holiday |
The prosecutor said Anastacio, 34, slapped 48-year-old Yra
in the face and the two women pulled each other’s hair.
During the struggle, Anastacio grabbed a ceramic cup and
hit Yra’s right hand with it, causing redness as it broke, the prosecutor said.
In return, Yra took a kettle filled with hot water and
doused its content on Anastacio, scalding her chest and left hand.
Police who responded to a report of the fight sent the two
women to Queen Elizabeth Hospital
She said as the helpers’ employers were intending to
terminate their contracts, they would have no place to stay in Hong Kong, which
was why she asked that they be denied bail.
Lawyers for the two had applied for bail for both their
clients.
Yra’s lawyer said in his bail application that his client
only had $80 in her wallet but could stay in her employment agency’s boarding
house if granted bail.
Yra, who had been in Hong Kong
since 2013, is said to have separated from her husband 14 years ago and has two
daughters who are both married. One of the daughters, along with her husband
and son live in Yra’s house.
On the other hand, Anastacio’s lawyer said his client could
post $1,500 bail and was willing to surrender her passport and live in her
agency’s boarding house.
The helper has been in Hong Kong
for just two years and has a clear record. She supports her parents and
children in the Philippines
Magistrate Woo told the defendants to return after eight
days for their bail review. In the meantime, she said, they must remain in
custody.
