EXCLUSIVE
A failed fashion designer has admitted launching an expletive-filled tirade against two Balinese vets in a dispute over her cat, but has pleaded with a panel of judges not to jail her.
Jessie White, founder of bankrupt brand Shakuhachi, has been living on the Indonesian resort island since her business went bust, leaving behind a trail of debt.
White is accused of “intentionally attacking the honor or good name” of two veterinarians at the Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung, where she had taken her cat Rocket for treatment.
The clinic claims White agreed that Rocket should be admitted to the clinic and agreed to pay for the stay, but then attempted to pick up the cat without paying the bill.
“Fuck you,” the 50-year-old woman allegedly told the clinic’s owner, Ni Made Restiati, and a colleague when she was told she couldn’t take Rocket home.
You give it away. You steal my cat. Damn bitch.’
According to the prosecution, those words were “said loudly in a public area” and made both veterinarians feel embarrassed.
When White again faced a panel of judges in Denpasar District Court 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 pleaded with a panel of judges not to jail him. White is pictured in Denpasar District Court on Tuesday.
Hanok said his client admitted to committing the acts alleged by prosecutors in their indictment, but described the demand that he serve three months in jail as “really onerous.”
Instead, Hanok asked that White be released on parole because she was “the backbone of the family” and her children would have no one to care for them if she was detained.
Hanok said White had been “open and honest” during the trial, had shown remorse to the judges and promised not to repeat her unruly behavior.
Presiding Judge Wayan Yasa asked White if there was anything else to add, but she said everything she wanted to present to the court had been presented by her lawyer.
The court previously heard White took Rocket to the clinic on March 9 last year when the cat was found to be suffering from an infection to his tail and left leg.
White was told that Rocket would need to be admitted for treatment and asked for an initial payment of 1,500,000 rupees, about $150.
The court heard as White accepted the fare which he was unable to pay at the time because his debit card was not working.
However, the clinic agreed to treat Rocket, who had been attacked by a dog, on the condition that White sign an agreement requiring her to pay for the treatment.
White is accused of “intentionally attacking the honor or good name” of two veterinarians at the Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung, where she had taken her cat Rocket for treatment. She appears at the clinic.
On March 16, a week after Rocket was admitted, the clinic contacted White via WhatsApp to inform him that they were keeping his cat in their custody because he had not paid the bill.
White arrived at the clinic’s front desk several hours later and demanded Rocket be returned to him.
Video of a subsequent confrontation obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed White shouting at staff and claiming he needed another day before he could pay.
“I have to borrow the money,” he said in the video. ‘I’ll give it to you tomorrow. Is it okay or not?
When told he couldn’t leave with Rocket unless he paid, White said, “So what are you going to do with my cat?” Okay, I’ll take it.’
White then allegedly entered the intensive care unit and wards without permission, looking for Rocket.
The video showed her walking through the hallways as dogs barked and yelled, ‘Where’s my cat? Did you steal my cat?
Staff denied stealing Rocket when White began filming them with his phone.
His 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 collapsed label Shakuhachi and has been living in Bali since her business went bankrupt. She is pictured (right) with model and businesswoman Lindy Klim.
In a second video, White went on a further tirade and threatened to close the clinic by launching a legal class action lawsuit.
“I love my cat, not like you,” he shouted. ‘You don’t love animals. You give them away… you pretend to be animal caretakers.
‘You are not animal keepers. You’re bad.’
Prosecutors have highlighted that White allegedly called Dr Made and her colleague Devita Vanessa Sukmawati Djara “fucking bitches”.
Both veterinarians “feel it is an insult to them and the veterinary profession,” according to the indictment.
White, whose occupation in court documents is listed as “investor,” is charged with defamation, perpetration of a minor insult and criminal trespass.
She could have rejected the accusations against her or admitted wrongdoing and expressed regret at receiving a lighter sentence if she had been found guilty.
The trial will resume next week when the prosecution responds to White’s defense statement.
White ran Bali’s once successful Shakuhachi and has remained there since the business was placed under voluntary administration in May 2015.
Neither Made Restiati (above) and her colleague Devita Vanessa Sukmawati Djara ‘feel it’s an insult to them and the veterinary profession’ to allegedly be called ‘damn bitches’.
Shakuhachi, which was worn by celebrities such as singers Lana Del Rey and Rihanna, crashed with debts totaling more than $1 million.
Creditors included manufacturers, modeling agencies and Woollahra Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
White appeared to be living a glamorous life in the resort town of Seminyak when Daily Mail Australia last reported on her whereabouts in May 2023.
She had reactivated her Instagram account, sharing photos of herself dressed in designer clothes at beach clubs and bars in Bali.
Among the Australian expats White considers close friends in Bali are hotelier Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, former Real Housewives Of Melbourne’s Sally Bloomfield and businesswoman Lindy Klim.
White, originally from the Melbourne bayside suburb of Sandringham, is the half-sister of The Cat Empire keyboardist Ollie McGill.
In 2017, A Current Affair reporter Chris Allen tracked down a carefree White and found her relaxing at Bali beach clubs and socializing with friends.
When Allen approached White at a cafe to ask her about Shakuhachi’s disappearance, she initially smiled at the camera, then left the table and hid in the men’s bathroom upstairs.