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Hu Jinyu, aged 39, was caught only because her accomplice, Liu Xiaofeng, returned to the scene of the crime to retrieve her iPhone, which she had left behind, the Hong Kong court heard. Liu was sentenced to 29 months.
Hu’s lawyer said she was an impoverished and illiterate mother of three, whose financial woes were compounded when she was fined for breaching China’s one-child policy.
He said her 62-year-old father’s lung cancer added another financial burden.
Hu swapped the 3.3-carat stone with a fake while her relative, 29-year-old Liu, caused a distraction at a stall at the Hong Kong International Jewellery show on March 2.
After the switch, Hu dropped the diamond off for an unknown accomplice to pick up. The diamond is still missing.
According to the South China Morning Post, Hu told the District Court her jailing would mean her baby would be born behind bars.
Judge Pang Chung-ping said, “She was aware of her pregnancy, yet she decided to come here to commit theft”.
