By Vir B. Lumicao
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| The defendant allegedly threw a mug at a fellow DH, accusing her of gossiping |
A Filipina domestic helper told the
Lilian R., 32, took the witness stand during her trial before Magistrate Peony Wong on a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm on the alleged victim, only identified as “Virgie”.
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The prosecution said the spat happened in the afternoon of Jan 9, a Saturday, while eight domestic workers gathered in the hostel.
Lilian gave her testimony in the afternoon, after the court listened to the Virgie and her fellow boarder, Edna, give evidence for the prosecution.
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Virgie told the court that she and Edna were having lunch on a table just outside the defendant’s room when she had an argument with some of her fellow boarders over a missing Octopus card.
Virgie said Regidor, who was roused from her nap, joined the squabble and accused her of gossiping about her. She said the defendant then grabbed her coffee mug that was on the table and threw it at her.
Virgie said she moved back but was still hit on the corner of her right eye and on her upper right lip, causing abrasions and bleeding. Two of her teeth wobbled as a result, she said.
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Aided by other boarders, she reported to police and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Edna said on the other hand that she was on a video call with her boyfriend and her mother as she ate lunch when Regidor suddenly got out of the room.
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Edna said the defendant reached for the mug from behind her, splashed the leftover coffee and slammed the mug on the table before throwing it in Virgie’s direction.
She said the mug hit Virgie on the right side of her face.
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Lilian denied taking aim at Virgie. She said that when she heard her name being dragged into the fray, she said she stood up and berated Virgie for talking about her and poking into other people’s lives.
Asked if she was mad at Virgie, Lilian said she “was not angry at her, I was just annoyed”.
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She said as their fight intensified, Virgie cursed and fumed, so two other female boarders tried to pacify Lilian and get her back into the room, one pushing her and the other pulling her.
“Half of my body was in the room and the other half in the living room,” Lilian said. Then she said she grabbed the mug by its rim and threw it on the table.
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Lilian said she saw the mug bounce off the table but could not see where it landed because her view was blocked by another boarder who intervened. She said she was shocked when the other women frantically said somebody was bleeding.
“I did not intend from the bottom of my heart to throw the mug at her,” she replied when the prosecutor put it to her that she intended to injure Virgie.
About the alleged injury to the victim’s teeth, the defendant said everyone in the hostel knew they were wobbly even before the spat because the victim had told them about.
The trial will continue on Aug 12, when another boarder gives evidence for the defense.
The magistrate extended Lilian’s bail until then.
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