Article content continued

During the trial, Sarmiento testified that she was told by the couple that her working conditions would be the same as in Hong Kong, where she had two days off a week and regular hours, and that she would become a permanent resident in Canada after two years.

Sarmiento said that unlike in Canada, she was also allowed to socialize with other people, had her own cell phone to make frequent calls to the Philippines and took the children under her care out of the home on her own.

But she said all that changed when she arrived in Canada, where she was forced to work 16-hour days, seven days a week and also clean the house.

“When they see that the (other) nannies are talking to me, Mr. Orr would approach me and he would tell me there’s no need for you to talk to the nannies,” she said, describing her past experiences visiting a local community centre.

In June of 2010, Sarmiento called 911 and told responding police officers she needed help, testifying she called the police after an altercation over the type of milk she fed one of the children turned physical when Huen pushed her.

She packed her things under the watch of police officers and was then taken to a women’s shelter, the trial heard, but the six-month work visa she travelled to Canada on had long-since expired.

She now works as a cleaner.

During cross-examination, Preovolos pointed to inconsistencies between her testimony at a preliminary inquiry and trial, and in one case noted she said she was never left alone in the house but then remembered being left alone once.