To “show off” on TikTok, an Indonesian maid has turned to stealing items such as cosmetics and jewellery from her employer.
Despite getting caught and being let off multiple times her employer, she did not learn from her lesson and continued to steal. Eventually, the 35-year-old Indonesian national was sentenced to eight weeks in jail.
The maid, known as Yuni Lestari, faced three theft charges. She pleaded guilty to two out of three charges of theft on Tuesday (21 Nov).
According to Zaobao, the maid has been working for her 42-year-old female employer since 2019. Her main tasks were taking care of the employer’s children, as well as cleaning rooms and changing bed sheets.
During her employment, she has been caught stealing from her employer several times. When confronted by her employer, she would apologise and plead for forgiveness. Her employer would then decide not to pursue the matter and let her off and allowed her to continue working.
Investigations revealed that in November 2021, the accused entered her employer’s bedroom and stole a Cartier bracelet and a diamond necklace worth $2,000. She then uploaded a video showing herself wearing the diamond necklace on TikTok in the same month.
She admitted to have stolen the items when she was alone in the house because she wanted to “show off” on TikTok.
Despite her employer’s leniency and in taking action against her, the maid continued to steal repeatedly.
The prosecution pointed out in court that the maid had abused her employer’s trust and forgiveness. Furthermore, the stolen items have not been recovered, and the maid did not make any offer to give it back.
On behalf of the accused, her defence lawyer told the court that the maid had not planned for these crimes in advance and had realized her mistake and hence pleaded for a lenient sentence.
