Housemaid gets one-year jail term for stealing

Dubai: A housemaid, who stole jewellery and cash from her sponsor in August 2009, was sentenced to a year in prison Thursday after being found guilty by the same jury that was hearing charges against her for stealing from another sponsor in August 2008.

The Dubai Court of First Instance passed its verdict after the jury found the 31-year-old Sri Lankan housemaid guilty of stealing Dh100,000 in jewellery and cash from her Indian sponsor in August this year.

In a August 2008 case, prosecutors had charged the Sri Lankan with stealing Dh15,000 in cash, a mobile phone, jewellery and clothes from her 27-year-old Indian sponsor.

Pronouncing the verdict in the 2009 case towards the beginning of the hearing, Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad said the accused, O.B., will be deported after the completion of her term.

The minute she heard the verdict, O.B. began sobbing. She continued weeping during the 45-minute hearing. "I am not guilty… I didn't do it," a weeping O.B. told the jury.

When asked by the judge why she was crying, the accused continued weeping and replied: "I have been jailed for one year at the beginning of this hearing."

Records said that the accused used the same modus operandi in both cases. She worked for a day, robbed the sponsor and absconded.

The 38-year-old sponsor in the 2009 case testified: "The defendant came to our place around 8.15am… I watched her babysitting skills for over an hour and then left home. I returned around 10.30am and discovered that she had absconded after stealing our money and jewellery."

Testifying in the 2008 case, the Indian sponsor R.S. said: "I hired the defendant to babysit my child for a salary of Dh1,500. Once was out shopping when I received a text message on my phone saying ‘Your baby is sleeping and I reached home'. When I called the number, it turned out to be O.B. She then switched off her mobile phone. So I called the watchman and requested him to take care of my baby until I reached home."

A verdict will be heard in the 2008 case soon. The verdict in the 2009 case is subject to appeal within 15 days.