Three Filipino Tourists in Hong Kong Jailed After They Tried To Steal Expensive Items

HONG KONG – Three Filipinos were jailed over theft charges, on March 27 at the District Court. The three Filipinos were all in tourist visa.

J.R.A Aguilar worked at a cockfighting arena and J.S. Mangasil, worked as a vegetable vendor were both sentenced to 48 months of jail time each over charges of theft and attempted theft.

But because they pleaded guilty, their sentence was reduced to 32 months by the District Judge Timothy Casewell. Each of them will now spend 16 months of jail time each.

However, the remaining defendant identified as A.D.T. Serapiones/ W.V. Diamante/ A.A Amor was charged with 42 months jail time for the two cases of theft and attempted theft. Another charge, 15 months jail time, was given to the defendant for breach of the deportation order. The sentence was decreased to 38 months after the later pleaded guilty. In totality, Serapiones will be jailed for 30 months.

According to the prosecutors, the three were allegedly responsible for the loss of a Chinese woman’s iPhone when she was buying something at Zara Store, IFC mall last June 2016. Aside from that, the three also tried to steal some items from the accessories/clothing shop.

Mangasil, 44-year-old and one of the defendants, has 3 children ages 18, 17 and 16. She also helped her 67-year-old sick mother. She only earns $500/month as a vegetable vendor.

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Aguilar, 40-year-old and previously worked at a cockfighting arena, was able to earn $950/month. He has 6 children and a sister suffering from ovarian cancer. He is the only breadwinner of the family.

The third defendant is 58-year-old Serapiones. He is a father of five children. He has five siblings. According to records, Serapiones was previously jailed over pickpocketing offenses which also happened in Hong Kong.

According to the Judge, the three Filipino tourists only came to Hong Kong to execute the crime.