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| Dreo claimed she bought the suitcase from a second-hand shop (Photo from Facebook) |
A Filipina domestic helper who was ordered jailed for four months last April 10 after being found guilty of stealing her employer’s suitcase, failed to convince the High Court to reduce her sentence.
Erlinda
M. Dreo, 42, who appeared in person for the appeal on June 21, had argued that
her sentence was excessive as the value of the suitcase was not high, and that
it could still be reused because even though the logo had been taken out, its
lock and zippers were still working properly.
Even
if it involved a breach of trust, she said it was not the worst case of its
kind. She also said that the chance of her reoffending was low as she would be
sent back to the Philippines after serving her sentence.
She asked for a suspended sentence
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But in his written judgment issued today, Deputy High Court Judge Frankie Yiu said he
considered the sentence appropriate, given that it involved a breach of trust,
and contrary to the appellant’s claim, the suitcase, said to be worth $1,099, was
“not of low value.”
Magistrate
David Chum was also upheld in his decision to raise the jail term to four
months from the starting point of three months due to several aggravating
factors which indicated a lack of remorse on the part of the appellant.
These
included her attempt to exonerate herself by making up the story during trial
that she had bought the suitcase belonging to her employer, Monica Hong, from a
second-hand dealer in Central.
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She
was also found to have damaged the logo of the suitcase in an attempt to hide
her misdeed. This damage was not reversible, and the magistrate considered this
another aggravating factor.
Further,
Dreo was not in a position to pay for damages.
As
she was found guilty after trial no discount on the sentence could be extended despite
her clear record.
The
theft was discovered after Hong asked Dreo in September 2023 for the suitcase, which
she had used in her family’s trip to Japan in February that year.
Dreo
was arrested after the suitcase was found among her things, despite her saying
she had bought it online, and was charged with theft.
She
was found guilty after trial in April this year.
In
mitigation it was submitted that she was married but separated from her husband,
and had to provide for her three children and her mother.
She came to Hong Kong to work for Hong in 2018 and her performance was all along good, given that her employment contract was renewed once.
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