A 39-YEAR-OLD Chinese housemaid was yesterday remanded in four-day custody after her employer accused her of stealing over €1,000 worth of valuables and cash.
The court reduced the demand to four days from the six police had initially requested.
According to the suspect’s Nicosia employer the maid stole the items while the family was away on holiday during the last two weeks of July, an investigating CID officer told the court.
The employer told police a number of pieces of jewellery as well as €987 in cash were taken from her home. The Nicosia woman said she suspected her housemaid because the rest of the house was completely untouched which meant whoever had stolen the items had used a key to get in. She also said the 39-year-old’s passport, which had been in the house before they’d gone on holiday, was missing.
The allegations were made even though the housemaid’s key had been taken off her before her employers had gone away and she had moved out to stay with friends during that time. The defence lawyer representing the Chinese woman said just as she had no key and could have allegedly taken the items so could anyone else. He also said the passport had been in her possession before she’d left the house. The judge pointed out that the lawyer’s argument was all well and good during a trial procedure but had no place in a remand hearing as the suspect was only a suspect at this stage and not a defendant.
According to sources if the case goes to trial it will not be an open and shut theft trial. Apparently the 39-year-old has allegations of her own regarding her employer who she said had virtually starved her and had made her work from 5am to 11pm daily.
“She only gave her a bit of bread every day and nothing more,” a source said.
When the housemaid tried to leave her employer the latter threatened to report her to police. The 39-year-old only worked up the courage to leave her employer when the family was away. The complaint was filed by the employer when the family returned from holiday and the housemaid did not show up for work on Wednesday.
The court also heard from the defence lawyer that the employer had allegedly pleaded with the housemaid to return to work on Thursday morning when the 39-year-old attended a political asylum interview with immigration authorities. The lawyer said by chance the plea had been made in his presence.
