By Vir B. Lumicao
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| The defendant was charged with stealing a Chanel bag along with a local man |
A Filipino waiter was sentenced to four months in prison in
Eastern Court today, Mar 18, after admitting just before his trial that he stole
an $8,000 luxury ladies’ handbag from a Causeway Bay boutique last July.
Calveen Castrillo, 38, pleaded guilty to the offense before Magistrate Ernst Yuen, although he previously denied committing the offence in an earlier hearing on Jan. 26.
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| Pindutin para sa detalye |
His co-defendant, Chiu Chun-ling, 44, admitted his role in the crime two months earlier and was also jailed for four months.
When Yuen entered the courtroom in the morning, he was told that Castrillo had decided to plead guilty. He eventually did so after the charge was read out to him.
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The magistrate called for a court break for about half an hour. When he returned, he told the defendant that putting him in prison was appropriate, as the value of the stolen good was high and it was not recovered.
Castrillo was also found to have a string of criminal records.
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“You have five previous convictions, two also involving theft. After considering all the circumstances, I have decided that custodial sentence is only appropriate,” Yuen said.
The prosecution said Castrillo, Chiu and their Filipina friend R.N. Maristela, went to the Heart of Luxe fashion shop on 2/F Causeway Place in Causeway Bay at 7:49pm on July 11 last year.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
Before they arrived, a saleslady placed a dark blue Chanel ladies’ handbag on the display rack.
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| The defendants stole a blue Channel bag like this one |
Maristela enquired with Pun about reselling a pair of shoes. While the saleslady was attending to Maristela, Chiu took the handbag from the rack and handed it to Castrillo, who was standing close behind him.
Castrillo put the bag into Chiu’s shopping bag then the two men left the shop without paying and fled to an unknown direction. Maristela then left without reselling anything.
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Feeling suspicious, Pun checked the display rack and saw that the handbag was gone. She checked the CCTV footage and saw Castrillo captured on video stuffing the handbag into Chiu’s shopping bag. She reported the case.
Castrillo and Maristela were arrested early on Jul 15 after police noticed they resembled the ones in the video. But in a police interview, they denied being stealing the bag.
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Chiu was arrested on the evening of Aug 13, and he told
police Castrillo took the handbag from the rack and placed it in his shopping
bag.
Police released Maristela after investigation as Castrillo and Chiu said separately in their statements that she had no knowledge of the offense.
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