Latest News

S’pore Helper Cuts Herself To Stage Break-In After Stealing From Employer, Gets 10 Months’ Jail

Domestic Helper Cuts Herself After Stealing From Employer & Fellow Helper

After stealing from her employer and fellow helper, a domestic helper in Singapore cut herself to stage a break-in.

However, the police uncovered her scheme when a K-9 sniffer dog traced the scissors to the Filipino’s fingers.

On Thursday (15 Dec), 45-year-old Gonzales Amor Coy was sentenced to 10 months’ jail after pleading guilty to one count each of theft in dwelling and lying to police.

Employer hid valuables in a locked drawer

According to The Straits Times (ST), Gonzales was employed in Feb 2019.

She stayed in the master bedroom of a three-bedroom unit, while her elderly female employer slept in a separate bedroom.

Another helper, who had been employed since 2011, slept in the utility room.

Some time that year, Gonzales stole S$350 from the other helper. Following the incident, the latter passed her valuables to the employer – comprising three pairs of gold earrings – for safekeeping.

Afterwards, their employer hid them in a locked drawer in the master bedroom. The drawer also contained her mother’s jewellery and valuables.

In total, the value of the items in the drawer exceeded S$11,000.

Helper cuts herself to stage break-in

Aware of where her employer kept the keys to the drawers, she hatched a plan to steal the valuables and stage a break-in.

 

Setting her plan in motion, she bought a pair of scissors and a screwdriver on 3 Oct.

Source: Jacqui Brown on Flickr, for illustration purposes only

At about 8pm on 7 Oct, she used a handkerchief to remove the drawer’s key from her employer’s bedside drawer.

She proceeded to raid the drawer and wrapped the items in the handkerchief before hiding them behind a cabinet.

Three days later, in the early hours of 10 Oct, she started staging the break-in.

First, she used the scissors to cut herself on the left side of her neck and back.

Then, to make it appear as though someone entered from the ground floor, she opened the window in her room.

Next, she dropped a figurine from her room to the ground floor, where it broke. She also placed the scissors and screwdriver on the floor.

Once everything was in place, Gonzales shouted out to the other helper for assistance, claiming a man had broken in and attacked her.

After hearing the commotion, their employer called the police.

Within an hour, 17 police officers – including a K-9 and forensics team – arrived at the residence.

Gonzales continued with her scheme, telling officers that someone climbed into her room, attacked her and stole the valuables from the locker. The scissors and screwdriver did not belong to her, she claimed.

Subsequently, officers patrolled the area and combed through footage of nearby police cameras until 7am.

However, during their investigations, police officers did not find any evidence that the window was tampered with. Furthermore, the K-9 sniffer dog traced the scissors to Gonzales’ fingers.

At 5pm that day, the police brought her and her employer back to the scene to re-enact the break-in. They also conducted another search in the area.

When they confronted her with the evidence, Gonzales finally admitted to lying.

All valuables recovered except for gold necklace

Thankfully, the police recovered all the valuables, with the exception of a gold necklace.

Turns out, Gonzales had pawned the necklace and used the proceeds to purchase other gold jewellery, all of which were recovered.

For theft in dwelling, Gonzales faces up to seven years’ jail and a fine. The offence of lying to the police comes with a jail term of up to two years and a fine.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image by MS News. 

Nicole Foo

Nicole thinks about Ya Kun Set C a bit too often.

Recent Posts

Online model seller in Japan scammed by buyer who returned different kit with pieces cut out

The seller was soured by the experience with Mercari, saying the platform only provided compensation…

14 Nov 2024, 6:57 pm

Woman in Indonesia steals formula milk by placing them between thighs

The woman walked away naturally despite the boxes between her thighs.

14 Nov 2024, 6:20 pm

Leopard in Thailand caught wriggling on zoo visitor’s pickup truck, netizens joke driver should bring it home

The leopard reportedly jumped off the truck once it saw zoo staff approaching.

14 Nov 2024, 5:53 pm

Motorist in M’sia crushed to death after container falls from trailer, lorry driver arrested

The trailer driver made a V sign for the media while being escorted to the…

14 Nov 2024, 5:42 pm

77-year-old woman dies after wooden walkway collapses in Taiwan’s Alishan, 4 others injured

The walkway was scheduled for repairs the day after the incident.

14 Nov 2024, 5:32 pm