EXCLUSIVE
A failed fashion designer has admitted launching an expletive-filled tirade against two Balinese vets in a dispute over her cat but has begged a panel of judges not to be jailed.
Jessie White, founder of the collapsed Shakuhachi label, has been living on the Indonesian holiday island since her business went belly-up, leaving behind a trail of debts.
White is accused of ‘intentionally attacking the honour or good name’ of two vets at Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung, where she had taken her cat Rocket to be treated.
The clinic claims White accepted that Rocket needed to be checked into the clinic and agreed to pay for the stay but then tried to pick up the cat without settling the bill.
‘F*** you,’ the 50-year-old allegedly told clinic owner Ni Made Restiati and a colleague when told she could not bring Rocket home.
‘You give him away. You steal my cat. F***ing b***h.’
According to the prosecution, those words were ‘said loudly in a public area’ and made both vets feel embarrassed.
When White faced to a panel of judges in Denpasar District Court again on Tuesday her lawyer Samuel Hanok read a statement on behalf of the single mother-of-two.
Failed fashion designer Jessie White has admitted launching an expletive-filled tirade against two Balinese vets in a dispute over her cat but has begged a panel of judges not to be jailed. White is pictured at Denpasar District Court on Tuesday
Mr Hanok said his client admitted committing the acts alleged by the prosecution in its indictment but described a demand she serve three months in jail as ‘really burdensome’.
Instead, Mr Hanok asked that White be placed on probation because she was ‘the backbone of the family’ and her children would have no one to look after them if she was detained.
Mr Hanok said White had been ‘open and honest’ during the trial, had shown remorse in front of the judges and promised not to repeat her unruly behaviour.
Presiding judge Wayan Yasa asked White if there was anything further to add but she said everything she wished to put before the court had been submitted by her lawyer.
The court has previously heard White brought Rocket to the clinic on March 9 last year when the cat was found to suffering an infection to his tail and left leg.
White was told Rocket would need to be admitted for treatment and was asked for a down payment of 1,500,000 rupiah – about $150.
The court has heard while White agreed to the fee she was unable to pay at the time because her debit card was not working.
The clinic nonetheless agreed to treat Rocket, who had been attacked by a dog, on condition that White sign an agreement obliging her to pay for the treatment.
White is accused of ‘intentionally attacking the honour or good name’ of two vets at Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung, where she had taken her cat Rocket to be treated. She is pictured at the clinic
On March 16, a week after Rocket had been admitted, the clinic contacted White via WhatsApp to inform her they would be keeping her cat in their custody because she had not paid the bill.
White arrived at the clinic’s reception desk several hours later and demanded Rocket be returned.
Video of a subsequent confrontation obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed White yelling at staff and claiming she needed another day before she could pay up.
‘I have to borrow the money,’ she said in the video. ‘I will give it to you tomorrow. Is it OK or not?’
Told she could not leave with Rocket unless she paid, White said: ‘So, what will you do with my cat? OK, I’m taking him.’
White then allegedly entered the intensive care unit and wards without permission, looking for Rocket.
The video showed her walking the aisles while dogs barked, screaming, ‘Where’s my cat? You f***ing steal my cat?’
Staff denied stealing Rocket as White began filming them on her phone.
Her rant continued in Bahasa and English.
When White faced Denpasar District Court again on Tuesday her lawyer Samuel Hanok read a statement on behalf of the single mother-of-two to a panel of judges (above)
White was the founder of the collapsed Shakuhachi label and has been living in Bali since her business went broke. She is pictured (right) with model and entrepreneur Lindy Klim
In a second video, White went on a further tirade and threatened to shut down the clinic by commencing a legal class action.
‘I love my cat, not like you,’ she shouted. ‘You don’t love animals. You give them away… You pretend to be carers of animals.
‘You’re not carers of animals. You’re mean.’
The prosecution has highlighted White allegedly calling Dr Made and her colleague Devita Vanessa Sukmawati Djara ‘f***ing b***hes’.
Both vets ‘feel that it is an insult to them and the veterinary profession’, according to the prosecution case.
White, whose occupation on court papers is listed as ‘investor’, is charged with defamation, perpetrating a minor insult and trespassing.
She could have rejected the accusations against her or admitted wrongdoing and expressed her regret to receive a lighter sentence if found guilty.
The trial will be resume next week when the prosecution will respond to White’s defence statement.
White ran the once hugely successful Shakuhachi from Bali and has remained there since the company was placed under voluntary administration in May 2015.
Ni Made Restiati (above) and her colleague Devita Vanessa Sukmawati Djara ‘feel that it is an insult to them and the veterinary profession’ to allegedly be called ‘f***king b***hes’
Shakuhachi – which was worn by celebrities including singers Lana Del Rey and Rihanna – crashed with debts totalling more than $1million.
Creditors included manufacturers, modeling agencies and Woollahra Municipal Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
White appeared to be living a glamorous life in the resort village of Seminyak when Daily Mail Australia last reported on her whereabouts in May 2023.
She had reactivated her Instagram account, sharing pictures of herself dressed in designer clothing at beach clubs and bars around Bali.
Among the fellow Australian expats White has counted as close friends in Bali are hotelier Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, former Real Housewives Of Melbourne’s Sally Bloomfield and entrepreneur Lindy Klim.
White, originally from the Melbourne bayside suburb of Sandringham, is the step-sister of The Cat Empire keyboard player Ollie McGill.
In 2017, A Current Affair reporter Chris Allen tracked down a carefree White and found her relaxing at Bali beach clubs and socialising with friends.
When Allen approached White at a cafe to ask about the demise of Shakuhachi, she initially smiled for the camera then left the table and hid in the men’s toilet upstairs.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk