HK$14 million theft: Hong Kong helper’s sentence increased by 17 months
- Court finds that original sentence was too lenient considering the seriousness of the crime and the breach of trust involved
- Judges say there is no evidence proceeds of crime were spent on sick mother’s medical expenses
A domestic helper jailed for nearly five years for stealing more than HK$14 million (US$1.7 million) worth of valuables from her Hong Kong employer had her sentence increased by 17 months on Tuesday, after the Court of Appeal found the original penalty to be inadequate.
Three judges on Tuesday granted prosecutors’ application for a tougher sentence for Carmelita Galay Nones, 47, after noting the lower Court of First Instance had lost sight of the gravity of the offences and offered too much leniency based on the defendant’s character and family circumstances.
Nones was working at the residence of Hong Kong shipping magnate David Liang Chong-hou in Deep Water Bay when she stole watches, jewellery and gold bars worth more than HK$14.6 million from him and his wife between 2018 and 2019.
She had pawned some of the stolen goods with the help of her niece and cousin, while keeping other valuables in her room and at her elder sister’s place in the city.
The thefts came to light in July 2019 when police noticed suspicious transaction records during a regular pawn shop inspection. Some stolen pieces could not be recovered.
Last year, deputy High Court judge Andrew Bruce jailed Nones for four years and 11 months on six counts of theft, to which she pleaded guilty.
While calling the case “serious” and one involving a breach of trust on the part of the ex-helper, Bruce accepted the crime had been motivated by the “terrible burden” represented by the defendant’s need to care for her ill mother in the Philippines.