Long-time FDH almost lands in jail for ATM theft

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An HSBC branch in Wan Chai photo: Google Maps

A long-time Filipino domestic worker almost landed in jail after she took $6,000 in cash that was left behind in an automated teller machine (ATM) at a bank in Wan Chai.

Eastern Magistrate Veronica Heung on June 8 sentenced Felomena J. to four weeks in prison but suspended this for two years after the helper pleaded guilty to theft.

This means that if the Filipino woman does not commit any crime in the next two years, she would not spend time in jail.

“If you do (do commit a crime), you will serve the jail sentence besides the punishment for the new offense,” the judge said.

Felomena was arrested after she took the $6,000 from an ATM at the HSBC branch along Hennessy Road in Wan Chai in November.

A Chinese client of the bank had inadvertently left the cash money after withdrawing it from the ATM.

Felomena saw the money when she was about to use the ATM. But instead of surrendering it to the bank or the police, she kept the cash.

Investigators were able to track down the Filipina using the footage from the bank’s CCTV (Closed circuit television) cameras. They also learned about her identity because she used the ATM after taking the $6,000.

The helper’s lawyer said it was a case of “momentary greed,” adding that the domestic worker had previously maintained a clear record in her almost three decades in Hong Kong.

“She had been working here for the last 28 years and she is with her third employer. She has served in the community for a long time. This is her first offense,” Felomena’s defense counsel said.

“She has pleaded guilty, which shows her remorse for what happened,” he added.

The lawyer also said that his client sent $2,000 a month to her ailing 90-year-old father back in the Philippines.

Judge Heung initially sentenced the Filipina to six weeks in prison but reduced this to four weeks and suspended it after Felomena pleaded guilty and paid back the $6,000.

While the Filipina domestic worker avoided prison she now has a criminal record in Hong Kong, which might prove problematic when she again applies for a work visa with the Immigration Department.