DH to be tried for allegedly tying to steal employer’s hotel shampoo

Eastern Magistrate Peter Law granted bail to the Filipina helper

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic worker has denied a charge of attempted theft filed against her by police for allegedly trying to steal three bottles of hotel toiletries from her female employer.

The defendant, Thelma Damiago, pleaded not guilty to the charge when she appeared before Eastern Magistrate Peter Law on Jan 22.

As a result, she will have to stand trial on Jan 31 during which the prosecution will call the employer, and her other Filipino maid to the witness stand.  

Damiago was released on bail pending the trial.

She was arrested by police in October last year, after her employer complained that she had stolen a set of hotel shampoo, conditioner and lotion. 

Damiago said she had given a month's notice of termination only two weeks earlier, citing as reason the alleged verbal abuse by her employer. She had been working for the employer for just two months then.

The maid had earlier complained to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, alleging her employer had verbally abused her since her first day of work.

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Pinay DH faces 8 new drug-related charges

Dabao was accused of possessing and/or trafficking
 small amounts of drugs

By Vir B. Lumicao

Prosecutors have filed eight additional charges of drug trafficking and possession against a Filipina domestic worker when she appeared in Eastern Court on Jan. 24.

Michelle Dabao appeared before Magistrate Peter Law, a week after the judge rejected the prosecution’s attempt to adjourn the hearing for another four weeks, and slammed the police for prolonging investigation.

Dabao was arrested in October last year, while allegedly carrying an unspecified amount of dangerous drugs and equipment to sniff drugs.

She was initially charged with one count each of “trafficking in a dangerous drug,” “possession of a dangerous drug” and “possession of apparatus fit for the inhalation of a dangerous drug”.

The prosecution dropped the third charge, but added eight new charges against Dabao which Law approved.

The new charges were about Dabao’s alleged trafficking or possession of various small amounts of drugs, mostly methamphetamine or “shabu” and on one count, heroin.

The alleged offenses were reported to have happened on various dates between Oct. 2 and Oct 18 last year.

The defendant broke into tears when the first additional charge was read to her. “I don’t understand why you adding that Oct 2 charge against me,” she butted in, but the interpreter continued reading the other charges.

No plea was taken and Law set the next hearing for Mar. 4.

In the previous hearing of Dabao’s case, Law scored the prosecution for getting the case stuck in the court due to “further investigation and legal advice”.

The magistrate prodded the prosecutor to tell the police to speed up their investigation as he would no longer allow any more adjournments.

The prosecutor said investigators were still considering what charges they would lay against Dabao based on the government’s chemist’s findings on the drugs seized from her.


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Filipino accused of flying into HK with ketamine in snack packs

Ketamine in snack packs allegedly seized from suspect

By The SUN

A 27-year-old Filipino male was charged at the weekend in Kowloon City Court of drug trafficking after he was reportedly found with 4.2 kilos of suspected ketamine disguised as snack packs in his luggage when he arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on Jan 24.

The Customs and Excise Department estimated the market value of the confiscated drug at $2 million.

The suspect, Richard Marc A. Benoza, was charged before Magistrate Woo Huey-fang on Saturday. He is said to be a Hong Kong identity card holder and worked as a bartender.

Benoza’s lawyer applied for cash bail of $2,000, but Magistrate Woo refused the application. The defendant was remanded in custody and no plea was taken.

The case was adjourned until Mar 27 for the next hearing at West Kowloon Court.

The Customs Department said Benoza was a passenger on a flight that arrived from Bangkok on Thursday afternoon.

During customs clearance, officers found 17 packets of suspected ketamine (now often used in date rape drugs), wrapped as snacks in his luggage. He was then arrested.

Also on Jan. 24, domestic helper Calin Baybayan appeared in West Kowloon Court for another hearing of her drug trafficking case. She was arrested in November after taking delivery of an air parcel which supposedly contained toys but was found to contain drugs.

Trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offense in Hong Kong, for which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment and a fine of up to $5 million.

The government has been urging the public to report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

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Pinay jailed after 3 successive thefts at H&M store

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina torture claimant has been sentenced to two months in jail by a Kowloon City Court judge after admitting to stealing from an H&M store in Tsimshatsui on three separate occasions.

H&M store in Silvercord, Tsim Sha Tsui

Former domestic worker Noelyn Domingo, 39, pleaded guilty to theft on Jan 28 before Magistrate Woo Huey-fang.

In the latest case, she was found to have stolen three pairs of trousers worth $1,450 on Jan. 26 at the H&M store on the ground floor of Silvercord Shopping Centre on Canton Road.

The prosecution said Domingo, a separated wife and mother of two adult sons, had also been charged previously for two thefts in the same store in October and November last year.

In the first case which happened on Oct. 29 Domingo took a pair of shoes and two handbags and left without paying. She returned on Nov 17 and stole three T-shirts worth $1,300.

Domingo was caught on both occasions and charged with theft, but she jumped bail during the Dec 13 hearing of the October offense and on Jan 24 for the November case.

The total amount she stole on the three occasions amounted to $4,150.

In the latest offense, Domingo entered the shop at about 3:20 pm. A guard in plain clothes saw her acting “suspiciously”, so he followed her and saw her take three pairs of trousers from a rack, put them in a bag, and left without paying.

The guard stopped the woman outside the shop, and upon inspection, saw the trousers inside her bag. The theft was reported to the police and officers arrested the defendant.

When she was arrested, Domingo had only $15 in her pocket. She admitted her offense during police investigation.

The defense lawyer said his client came to Hong Kong in 2011 to work as a domestic helper and was now a torture claimant.

Magistrate Woo convicted the Filipina after she pleaded guilty. Woo said the sentence should be three months in jail but she cut it by a third because of her guilty plea.

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Filipina’s drug use said to have made her steal

Kowloon City Court to decide if drug use led defendant to steal

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina’s drug-induced dementia had driven her to steal five bottles of perfume worth nearly $2,000 from the same cosmetics shop in Mong Kok on two consecutive days this January, the Kowloon City Court was told.

The defendant, Gladys de Vera, pleaded guilty on Jan 28 to two theft charges before Magistrate Woo Huey-fang arising from those offenses.

The prosecution charged that De Vera, whose visa status was not disclosed, went to a SASA store on Nathan Road on Jan 4 and took two bottles of perfume worth $788, then left without paying.

The next day, the defendant returned to the store and stole three more bottles of perfume worth a total of $1,120.

The defense counsel assigned by the Duty Lawyer Service reported that the drug report sought by the magistrate indicated that the defendant had tested positive for drug use.

The lawyer said the second report, prepared by a psychiatrist, confirmed that De Vera had drug-induced dementia that was probably caused by substance abuse.

Magistrate Woo said the court would request a drug treatment report before sentencing De Vera.

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