A former Aussie fashion designer facing months in a Bali jail over a row about her cat has revealed she missed the funerals of both her parents who died while she was awaiting trial.
Jessica White, 50, was given a two month prison sentence in February after she was found her guilty of ‘intentionally attacking the honour or good name’ of two Balinese vets.
White was filmed abusing medical staff at Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung when they refused to give her cat Rocket back after treating it for an infection.
Denpasar District Court found that White hadn’t paid the bill and that she had unfairly accused the vet of trying to steal her pet in March, 2024.
White, founder of the collapsed Shakuhachi label, has been living on the holiday island since her business went bust and left a trail of debt.
She appealed her jail term in Bali High Court, which on Monday reduced it to a five-month suspended sentence.
White’s lawyer Samuel Uruilal revealed his client had to deal with family tragedies while away from home.
‘Her father and mother died during the trial process, but she was not able to leave Bali because of the case,’ he said.
Failed Australian fashion designer Jessie White (pictured at in Denpasar District Court) will serve a five-month suspended sentence in Bali
White’s sister has also been diagnosed with cancer, he revealed, but the former designer has yet to see her either as she was not allowed to leave the country during her trial.
Mr Uruilal said the single mother-of-two was happy with the court’s decision to spare her jail but remained adamant that she never did anything wrong.
‘Jessica is happy with the decision, and for her, that’s the right decision,’ Mr Uruilal said.
‘As a mother that has to care for two kids, she said she was happy she could escape jail, she will still be able to work to support her two kids, and she still can live in Bali.
‘For her, she never did anything [wrong]. Nothing [was] broken because of her. She only wanted her right, her cat. She said, “Where is my cat?”‘
White will remain in Bali while on probation and has been ordered to be a ‘good citizen’ and ‘behave appropriately’.
Mr Uruilal said White described Bali as her ‘second paradise’ and has no plans to live in Australia.
‘She said to me she will live in Bali until she dies,’ Mr Uruilal said.
‘She has been here for a very long time, and she said she will not be going back to her country [to live].’
The single mother-of-two was found guilty of defaming two Balinese vets after she was filmed berating the workers in an expletive-filled tirade over a dispute concerning her cat
White was accused of ‘intentionally attacking the honour or good name’ of two vets at the clinic, which claimed White had agreed to pay for her cat to stay there but then tried to pick up her pet without settling the bill.
‘F*** you,’ White 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.’
Denpasar District Court heard those words were ‘said loudly in a public area’ and made both vets feel embarrassed.
Prosecutor Putu Deneil Pradipta Intaran previously told a panel of judges to find White guilty and sentence her to three months in jail.
Members of the Bali Veterinarian Association, who were present in court to hear the prosecutor’s demand, said they had come to support their colleagues.
Association president I Dewa Made Anom said he hoped the case against White would be a reminder ‘for all people and also foreigners’ to respect vets.
White’s lawyer read a statement on behalf of his client and said she admitted the charge but said a three-month jail sentence would be ‘really burdensome’.
White was filmed berating medical staff at Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung after they refused to give her cat Rocket back to her after receiving treatment for an infection
White insulted both Ni Made Restiati (above) and her colleague Devita Vanessa Sukmawati allegedly calling them ‘f***ing b***hes’
Pictured, White filming the interaction on her phone at the Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung
Her lawyer requested White be placed on probation because she was ‘the backbone of the family’ and her children would have no-one to look after them.
He added his client was ‘open and honest’ during the trial, had shown remorse in front of the judges and promised not to repeat her unruly behaviour.
The court had previously heard White brought Rocket to the clinic on March 9 last year after he began 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 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 signed an agreement obliging her to pay for the treatment.
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.
Ms White arrived at the clinic’s reception desk several hours later and demanded Rocket be returned.
White’s lawyer revealed the 40-year-old was unable to travel back to Australia for the funerals of her parents, as they both died while she was on trial (pictured White (right) with model and entrepreneur Lindy Klim)
Video 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 okay or not?’
Told she could not leave with Rocket unless she paid, White said: ‘So, what will you do with my cat? Okay, 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.
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,’ White shouted. ‘You don’t love animals. You give them away.
White ran the once hugely successful fashion brand Shakuhachi from Bali before it crashed with debts totalling more than $1million (pictured, White on the Shakuhachi catwalk during the 2011 Rosemount Australian Fashion Week)
‘You pretend to be carers of animals. You’re not carers of animals. You’re mean.’
White, whose occupation on court papers is listed as ‘investor’, was charged with defamation, perpetrating a minor insult and trespassing.
White ran the once-hugely successful Shakuhachi from Bali and has remained there since the company was placed under voluntary administration in May 2015.
Shakuhachi – which was worn by celebrities including singers Lana Del Rey and Rihanna – crashed with debts totalling more than $1million.
