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| Entrance to building where arrest was made |
A former domestic helper who has overstayed and then sought asylum in Hong Kong, was jailed for 12 months today after admitting that she used the recognizance certificate of another Filipina.
Rowena Quiros, 50 years old, was in the basement of a building on High Street in Sai Wan last Aug. 24 when she was accosted by a policewoman. She presented a recognizance certificate, which is an accepted identification document for people applying for non-refoulement.
But while the picture on it was hers, it was in the name of another Filipina.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Anti-Triad Police filed a case at Eastern Court accusing her of using a false instrument, a violation of the Crimes Ordinance,
She was accused of using the recognizance certificate of another Filipina “with the intention of inducing” a policewoman “to accept it as genuine, and by reason of so accepting it, to do or not do some act” to the policewoman’s prejudice.
Quiros’ duty lawyer asked Principal Magistrate Don So for leniency, describing her offense as a result stupidity and ignorance, which she now regrets.
He explained that Quiros arrived in Hong Kong as a domestic helper 20 years ago, but her last employer terminated her contract in June 2022.
She failed to find another employer, overstayed, and was issued a recognizance document.
However, she failed to renew the document when it expired, and was afraid to report to the Immigration Department. Instead she used another Filipina’s certificate and pasted her own picture on it.
When asked by Magistrate So how the offense was punished in previous cases, the lawyer cited a previous case in which the defendant was meted a 15-month sentence
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