A domestic helper accused of swindling approximately $1 million from 25 people, whom she had allegedly recruited for a bogus overseas employment programme, was denied bail when she appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

Forty-one-year-old Daphney Francis, a resident of Gregory Park in St Catherine, pleaded not guilty to the charge obtaining money by means of false pretence.

Francis’s attorney Nicholette Hamilton, during the bail application, told the court that her client is a victim of the same circumstances and that the alleged mastermind behind the scam is seen as the saviour of the community.

The court was told that Francis collected $30,000 plus an additional US$100 each from 15 residents from her community.

Senior Parish Judge Judith Pusey, who was not moved by the application, told the court that Francis should forget about the mastermind.

“She is not going anywhere until I see these people’s money. These things are so popular in the court,” Pusey uttered.

A fingerprint order was subsequently made and a June 22 mention date set for Francis to reappear in court.