By Vir B. Lumicao
A Filipina torture claimant has been sentenced to two months
in jail by a Kowloon City Court judge after admitting to stealing from an
H&M store in Tsimshatsui on three separate occasions.
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| H&M store in Silvercord, Tsim Sha Tsui |
In the latest case, she was found to have stolen three pairs
of trousers worth $1,450 on Jan. 26 at the H&M store on the ground floor of
Silvercord Shopping Centre on Canton
Road
The prosecution said Domingo, a separated wife and mother of
two adult sons, had also been charged previously for two thefts in the same
store in October and November last year.
In the first case which happened on Oct. 29 Domingo took a
pair of shoes and two handbags and left without paying. She returned on Nov 17 and
stole three T-shirts worth $1,300.
Domingo was caught on both occasions and charged with theft,
but she jumped bail during the Dec 13 hearing of the October offense and on Jan
24 for the November case.
The total amount she stole on the three occasions amounted
to $4,150.
In the latest offense, Domingo entered the shop at about
3:20 pm. A guard in plain clothes saw her acting “suspiciously”, so he followed
her and saw her take three pairs of trousers from a rack, put them in a bag, and
left without paying.
The guard stopped the woman outside the shop, and upon
inspection, saw the trousers inside her bag. The theft was reported to the
police and officers arrested the defendant.
When she was arrested, Domingo had only $15 in her pocket. She
admitted her offense during police investigation.
The defense lawyer said his client came to Hong
Kong in 2011 to work as a domestic helper and was now a torture
claimant.
Magistrate Woo convicted the Filipina after she pleaded
guilty. Woo said the sentence should be three months in jail but she cut it by
a third because of her guilty plea.
