Helper steals cash & jewellery from employer’s unlocked safe & sends money to family, gets 2 months’ jail
A Filipino domestic helper pleaded guilty on Friday (19 Sept) for stealing from her employer’s safe and subsequently sending the stolen money back to her family.
Castro Catherine Delos Reyes, 36, had been working at a unit on West Coast Road since 2023, where she was responsible for household chores and meal preparation.
Helper takes advantage of unlocked safe
In March 2025, Reyes noticed that her employers’ safe was kept in an unlocked cupboard, with the safe itself also left open despite containing valuable items.
Source: pixelshot on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Over the following months from March to August 2025, she stole a total of around S$4,350 worth of items from the safe.
This included 5,900 yuan (approximately S$1,065) and 930 euros (around S$1,400) in cash.
Source: gutang on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Additionally, she took a gold pendant valued at S$270 and a gold sceptre worth S$1,614.60.
The thefts occurred at least five times during this period.
On 12 Aug, the female employer attempted to retrieve some Chinese currency from the safe, only to find that the cash and some jewellery were missing.
Shocked, she contacted the police, who arrested the helper on 18 Aug.
Cash used for husband’s medical bills & children’s expenses
During the investigation, it was revealed that Reyes had pawned the stolen jewellery and sent the cash to her husband, who used it to cover his medical bills and the daily expenses for their two children.
In court, Reyes, who represented herself, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft, with a second charge taken into consideration for sentencing.
The judge sentenced her to two months in prison and ordered her to compensate her employer S$1,871.34 for the stolen items.
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Featured image adapted from pixelshot on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
