OFW admits stealing employer’s gold rings in HK

Eastern Magistrates' Courts in Sai Wan Ho

A Filipino domestic worker was sentenced to prison yesterday (March 18) after she admitted to stealing and pawning her employer’s two gold rings in Mid-Levels.

Eastern Principal Magistrate Peter Law sent Johara T.N. to a month in jail after she pleaded guilty to two counts of theft.

“Umaamin po,” said the 32-year-old domestic worker.

The prosecution said the worker’s male employer found a pawnshop ticket in his flat while she was on vacation in the Philippines last Christmas.

The ticket showed that the employer’s gold ring had been pawned for $1,100.

When she returned from vacation, the employer confronted her and she admitted to stealing the ring from her employer’s jewelry box in October and pawning it.

The police were called and she was brought to the Wan Chai police station.

During the investigation at the employer’s flat, the police found another pawnshop ticket, the prosecution said.

The ticket showed that Johara had pawned another gold ring of the employer for $900 and so another theft charge was filed against the Filipino worker.

Johara’s lawyer said she stole and pawned the ring so that she could have more money to give to her parents in the Philippines.

“At the time of the offense, she needed to generate more money to send back to her parents,” the lawyer said.

“She’s aware that she committed a serious offense and she has no means to compensate the owner,” he added.

Judge Law said Johara should be meted a jail sentence because she broke the trust that her employer gave her when she stole the two rings.

“Now, this is a very serious offense because you stole from your employer. A custodial sentence is appropriate in this case,” he said.

The judge said she should be jailed for six weeks but, because she pleaded guilty, he reduced it to one month for each charge.

He also ruled that Johara should serve the jail sentences concurrently, meaning she would stay in prison for only a month instead of two months.

“Thank you,” Johara said thrice before bowing to the judge and being escorted by policemen out of the courtroom and into prison.