Shakuhachi fashion designer Jessie White begs Bali judges to spare her from jail after feral tirade at vet over her cat Rocket

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 jury not to be jailed.

Jessie White, founder of the bankrupt Shakuhachi label, has been living on the Indonesian holiday island since her company went bankrupt and left a trail of debts.

White is accused of “intentionally damaging the honor or reputation” of two veterinarians at the Bali Veterinary Clinic in Bandung, where she had taken her cat Rocket for treatment.

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 paying the bill.

“F*** you,” the 50-year-old allegedly told clinic owner Ni Made Restiati and a colleague when she was told she could not take Rocket home.

‘You’re giving him away. You steal my cat. Damn b***h.”

According to the prosecutor, these words were “spoken loudly in a public place,” causing both veterinarians to feel embarrassed.

As White stood before a panel of judges in the Denpasar court again on Tuesday, her lawyer Samuel Hanok read out a statement on behalf of the single mother of two.

Mr Hanok said his client admitted to committing the acts alleged by the prosecutor in the indictment, but described the requirement that she serve three months in prison 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 care for them if she was detained.

Mr Hanok said White had been “open and honest” during the trial, expressed remorse to the judges and vowed not to repeat her unruly behaviour.

Judge Wayan Yasa asked White if there was anything more to add, but she said everything she wanted to present to the court had been submitted by her lawyer.

The court previously heard that White took Rocket to the clinic on March 9 last year when the cat was found to have an infection in its tail and left paw.

White was told that Rocket would have to be admitted for treatment and was asked for a deposit of 1,500,000 rupiah – about $150.

The court heard White agreed to pay the fee which she was unable to pay at the time because her bank card was not working.

The clinic nevertheless 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.

On March 16, a week after Rocket was admitted, the clinic contacted White via WhatsApp to inform her that they would be keeping her cat in custody because she had not paid the bill.

White arrived at the clinic’s front desk several hours later and demanded that Rocket be returned.

Video of a subsequent confrontation obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed White shouting at staff and claiming she needed another day before she could pay.

“I have to borrow the money,” she said in the video. ‘I’ll give it to you tomorrow. Is it okay or not?’

White explained that she couldn’t leave with Rocket unless she paid, saying, “So, what are you going to do with my cat?” Okay, I’ll take him.’

White then allegedly entered the intensive care unit and wards without permission in search of Rocket.

The video showed her walking down the aisles as dogs barked and screamed, “Where’s my cat? Are you fucking stealing my cat?’

The staff denied stealing Rocket when White started filming them on her phone.

Her tirade continued in Bahasa and English.

In a second video, White continued on a tirade and threatened to close the clinic by filing a legal class action.

“I love my cat, not like you,” she shouted. ‘You don’t like animals. You give them away… You pretend to be zookeepers.

‘You don’t take care of animals. You’re mean.’

The prosecutor has emphasized that White Dr. Made and her colleague Devita Vanessa Sukmawati reportedly called Djara ‘damn b***hes’.

Both veterinarians “felt it was an insult to them and the veterinary practice,” the complaint said.

White, whose occupation is listed on court papers as “investor,” is charged with defamation, committing a minor insult and trespassing.

She could have dismissed the charges against her or admitted her wrongdoing and expressed remorse and received a lighter sentence if found guilty.

The trial will resume next week, when the prosecution will respond to White’s defense statement.

White ran the once hugely successful Shakuhachi from Bali and has remained there since the company was placed into voluntary administration in May 2015.

Shakuhachi – which was worn by celebrities including singers Lana Del Rey and Rihanna – crashed with debts totaling more than $1 million.

Creditors included manufacturers, modeling agencies and the Woollahra City 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 and shared photos of herself dressed in designer clothes at beach clubs and bars in 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 stepsister of The Cat Empire keyboardist Ollie McGill.

In 2017, A Current Affair reporter Chris Allen tracked down a carefree white man and found her relaxing at beach clubs in Bali and socializing with friends.

When Allen approached White at a cafe to ask about Shakuhachi’s death, she initially smiled at the camera, then left the table and hid in the upstairs men’s room.