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| The Indonesian helper had served the employer for 10 years, the court was told |
Here’s a court case from which other migrant helpers in Hong Kong , including Filipinos, can draw a lesson.
An Indonesian maid was jailed for four months today, Jun 17,
by a Kowloon City
The 36-year-old helper, Nasiyah, was sentenced by Magistrate
Ada Yim two days after she was arrested by police. She pleaded guilty to the
offense.
The prosecution said the theft happened between Dec 20 last
year and Jun 15 this year in the flat of her female employer, Poon Hiu-ping, in
Merry Court, 6 Fessenden Road, Kowloon.
Poon, 42, a technician, reportedly bought the bullion from
different jewelry shops for a total of $117,660 on Sept 20, Oct 8 and Dec 20
last year. She placed them in a pink bag and kept them in an unlocked closet
drawer in her bedroom.
On Jun 15, the employer checked the drawer and found that
the pink bag and the bullion were missing. She searched the whole house the
next morning and, around 3pm, she found the pink bag in Nasiyah’s closet, but
it was empty.
Poon also found 7 receipts for the maid’s sales of the stolen
gold and $25,520 in cash in the closet. The employer called the police, who
arrested the helper.
The prosecution said that during interrogation at the
Kowloon City Police Station, the helper admitted the theft and said the cash
recovered was proceeds from selling the gold.
Nasiyah told the police she stole the gold out of greed, the
prosecution said.
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But her duty lawyer said in mitigation the maid had admitted
stealing the gold to get back at Poon who lured her into renewing her contract by
promising a salary hike, but was not fulfilled.
At one time, the maid returned to her country for good but
the employer reportedly lured her back by promising a long service pay of
$15,000 to $20,000. Again, this promise was not kept.
Nasiyah served Poon and her family for 10 years, the lawyer
said.
Yim said stealing from her employer was a breach of trust, a
very serious crime.
