Celeb hairstylist Addy Lee's maid charged with stealing clothes and Hermes bags worth $24k

Remember when Singapore's celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee got his wallet stolen in Milan just three months ago?

Well, now he can add two Hermes bags and clothing to the list, except they got stolen in his own house.

Lee's Indonesian domestic helper was charged in court today for allegedly stealing two Hermes bags worth $12k each, two jackets and five T-shirts from the hairstylist's apartment in Sentosa Cove, according to The Straits Times.

Namih Nurlaela, 40, has been working for him for 14 years according to his Instagram post.

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The 46-year-old employer claimed that the domestic helper nicknamed "Nora" had stolen "4 huge boxes of things".

"Just when I was leaving for work on the morning of June 11, I realised that two Hermes bags were missing." Mr Lee said in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao. 

"There is no one else at home," he added. "If it isn't her, who is it?"

With his suspicions aroused, he recalled an incident whereby a pair of shoes left at his doorstep by his assistant reappeared after he had asked her about it.

There were also unexplained cases of a missing phone and bag in the apartment, both of which belonged to his assistant.

Mr Lee was determined to investigate further, so he requested to check Nurlaela's phone, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

"She took her time and spent five minutes in her room, after which I found that she had deleted WhatsApp conversations and photos in her phone." Lee said in the interview.

"Luckily, my assistant was able to retrieve the deleted information, and we found photos of my Hermes bags, clothes, shoes and other items in her phone."

Found in her phone were photos of items that Mr Lee claimed Nurlaela stole, such as his Hermes bags, jacket, shoes, clothes, and even Rolex watches, canned food and detergent.

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The prosecution sought an adjournment for further investigation by the police and to await further directions from the Deputy Public Prosecutor.

Nurlaela can be bailed for $10,000 by a Singaporean bailor.

On June 23, her case will be mentioned again. If convicted of theft as a servant, she could be jailed up to seven years and fined.

ongymm@sph.com.sg