Betrayal of trust lands mother at Samoa's Tafa’igata Prison

A 42-year-old mother who claimed that she stole close to $5, 000 from her employer to pay for her children’s school fees has been jailed for nine months.

But any hopes Alofa Sefo, of Vaoala, had of attracting sympathy were immediately kicked to touch by the District Court yesterday.

“This type of crime is on the rise,” Judge Vaepule Vaemoa Vaai said of theft.

“As for your reason for stealing to pay your children school fees, that is unacceptable. What school fees? It was near the end of the school year when you committed the crime.”

The Court heard that on 12 October 2012, Sefo, a married woman with children stole from her former employer, Paul Anderson and Cherelle Jackson-Anderson. She pleaded guilty to the charge.

According to the summary of facts, Alofa stole a total of $4, 488.

Mrs. Anderson only discovered that the money was missing the following morning and she immediately suspected the defendant because she was the only one who accessed their bedroom.

Alofa told the Court she was remorseful for what she had done and that her parents in Australia would pay the money to the Andersons.

But Judge Vaepule was not impressed.

“Why did you not ask the couple for money for your family if that was the case?” asked Judge Vaepule.

At that point, Mr. Anderson interjected to make a statement.

“The defendant was a trusted friend,” he said. “She stole more than $4000 tala from us. We gave her food, clothes and treated her well and what she did was a betrayal of our trust.