Pinoy jailed for hiding pregnant, overstaying FDH

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She showed up at his door, pregnant with his child.

 

A judge in Sha Tin sent a Filipino to prison after he admitted to hiding his girlfriend, an overstaying former domestic helper, from the authorities for two years when she became pregnant with his son in 2013.

 

Sha Tin Principal Magistrate Andrew Ma sentenced Ramir S. delos Reyes, a permanent resident of Hong Kong, to six weeks in prison after he pleaded guilty to the charge of aiding, abetting, counseling or procuring the breach of condition of stay.

 

The judge initially sentenced him to two months in jail but the Filipino appealed.

 

“I have considered carefully all the grounds of your application. I give you the benefit of the doubt that you were the one who initiated your girlfriend’s (eventual surrender),” Ma said during the review hearing of Delos Reyes’ sentence on February 17.

 

The Filipino was also fined $1,000 for failing to register the birth of his son right after he was born. Delos Reyes did not appeal the fine.

 

On the other hand, the defendant’s girlfriend was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail for overstaying in Hong Kong for five years.

 

Delos Reyes’ lawyer said the Filipino provided shelter for his girlfriend from July 2013 to July 2015 out of concern for her and his son’s safety.

 

“His girlfriend turned up at his door and she was already three months pregnant with his child. She had nowhere else to go,” the lawyer said.

 

“Out of love for his child, he decided to provide them a place to stay. They planned to surrender after she gave birth,” he added.

 

But after she gave birth to their son, Delos Reyes decided to hide his girlfriend for 18 more months.

 

“The baby at that time was breastfeeding,” the lawyer said.

 

He added that it was Delos Reyes who eventually decided in July 2015 that it was time for his girlfriend to surrender and to register his child’s birth.

 

“He did take his child and girlfriend to Immigration to register the birth of the child,” the lawyer said.

 

Delos Reyes was seen wiping away tears after hearing Judge Ma’s decision to reduce his prison sentence to six weeks.