Judge scolds lawyer for being unprepared to defend Pinoy

A District Court judge scolded the lawyer of a Filipino pickpocket after he came to court unprepared November 6.

Judge Eddie Yip scolded the lawyer of defendant Jeric F. Abiera after he could not tell the judge how long his client, based of legal precedents, should be imprisoned after the Filipino and his accomplice, Jenifer C. Manio, pleaded guilty to theft.

Yip was irritated after the lawyer had to borrow the case files of Manio’s defense counsel to argue about Abiera’s proper jail sentence.

“It appears you are far from being fully prepared. This is a sad day. I don’t want to put your client any one more day (in jail) if you can help it,” Yip said.

“How about your client? Are you giving your best? If you are not comfortable with court work, don’t do it,” he added.

Abiera and Manio were arrested at the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station after they tried to take a red and black shoulder bag from a tourist who was in Hong Kong with a fermale companion.

The tourist’s bag contained two passports, HK$1,859.9, and 23.5 in Macau patacas.

“The police noticed that (Abiera and Manio) looked suspicious when they kept on staring at the bags of people near the corner of Nathan Road and Nanking Street,” Judge Yip said.

The police followed the two Filipino tourists, who went into the Jordan MTR station and then boarded a train back to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, where they found their victim.

“(Abiera) pointed to the (the male victim and his female companion) and they followed the couple as they went up the escalator to the concourse,” Judge Yip said.

The two pickpockets then flanked the male victim from behind. Using a paper fan as cover, Manio, and then Abiera, unzipped the victim’s bag. Abiera then took the shoulder bag but the police caught up with him.

During the police investigation, it was discovered that Abiera was issued a deportation order on June 12, 1998 and was told not to return to Hong Kong again.

But using different names, Abiera was able to come back here and was arrested in 1999, 2001, and 2006 for different crimes.

The police said he used eight aliases. He had been also been convicted 12 times in Hong Kong. These included two convictions for theft in 1997, once for attempted theft in 1999, once for conspiracy to steal in 2006, and thrice for obtaining property by deception in 2001.

Abiera, 44 years old and a part-time taxi driver, said he committed his latest crime because he needed money to pay a $10,000 debt for a liver surgery in 2013.

He claimed he did not know Manio and that they only met here in Hong Kong at the MTR.