Employer Who Killed Her 24YO Maid Through Torture Seeks a Lighter Sentence Through New Lawyer

You may have heard of the heinous murder of Piang Ngaih Don, who weighed just 24kg when she passed away on 26 July 2016.

Apart from being subjected to serial abuse, she was also deprived of food and water on a routine basis.

On Tuesday (23 Feb 2021), Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 41, pleaded guilty to 28 charges, which included culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful restraint, and causing hurt or grievous hurt to Piang.

The prosecution argued that this case was “especially heinous and especially horrific” enough to warrant life imprisonment.

Another 87 similar charges will also be taken into consideration.

But just when the case has seemingly concluded, there appears to be another… twist in the tale.

Employer Who Killed Her 24YO Maid Through Torture Seeks a Lighter Sentence Through New Lawyer

According to Channel News Asia, Gaiyathiri has a new lawyer, and he’s intent on securing a lower charge for his client.

Apparently, Mr Joseph Chen is seeking a compromised charge without life imprisonment: 304b.

Under 304b, a perpetrator is deemed to lack an intention to cause death, and thus faces up to 10 years’ jail and a fine.

This is in stark contrast to 304a, a crime that’s punishable by life imprisonment.

In addition, Mr Chen stated that his client would not take back her plea of guilt, but has requested to amend or remove “one or two parts” in the original statement.

Gaiyathiri has also requested a gag order, one which would instil a “blanket prohibition on further reporting”.

Mitigation

Mr Chen has also since requested more time to craft an in-depth mitigation plea for Gaiyathiri.

“With the court’s indulgence, as well as the public prosecutor’s facilitation, she will put in further mitigation to highlight those factors to support her case that her culpability is reduced with the focus and emphasis on the stressors that result in her feeling an increased tension due to her worry about the children’s health,” said Mr Chen.

This “increased tension” can be attributed to her mental disorders: major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. These serve to make her eligible for the defence of diminished responsibility.

Her children’s illnesses, which were accredited to the poor hygiene of the deceased, also supposedly contributed to her obsession with cleanliness and hygiene.

“Our client attributed the cause of her children’s illness to the poor hygiene of the deceased, for example, the deceased’s practices of not washing her hands before touching cooking vessels and taking cooked food with unwashed hands,” said lawyers Diana Ngiam and Sunil Sudheesan previously.

Mr Chen has since been given till 28 May to form his further mitigation plea.

The next date for the case will be held on 22 June 2021.

According to reports, Gaiyathiri’s husband, as well as her mother-in-law, also face pending charges.

Case

Piang first began working in Gaiyathiri’s household in 2015.

In return for a higher pay and home rest, she agreed to Gaiyathiri’s conditions of employment, which dictated that she:

• Should not mix with other maids
• Should not have a handphone
• Should not have a day off

Even though she complied with these demands, Gayathiri grew unhappy with her helper soon after she was employed.

She found the victim slow, unhygienic, and believed she ate too much. As such, she laid out a strict set of rules that Piang had to obey.

But Piang eventually broke some of the rules, and that’s when the abuse started.

The abuse was verbal at first, but swiftly turned physical from October 2015 onwards.

She would assault Piang almost every day, sometimes with the help of her mother, Prema S Naraynasamy, 61.

This abuse took the form of slaps, pushes, punches, and kicks. Gayathiri also attacked Piang with hard objects and once stamped on Piang while she was on the floor.

On one occasion, she even pressed a hot iron against Piang’s forehead.

The court was shown videos of this abuse.

Piang was also given very little food, like sliced bread soaked in water, cold food from the fridge, or rice, which lead to her losing 15kg during her employment.

She was only allowed to sleep for five hours a night and was forced to shower and relieve herself with the door open while Gaiyathiri or Prema watched.

Piang was also instructed to put on multiple layers of face masks as Gaiyathiri found her dirty and did not want to look at her face.

She was only taken to a doctor once in May 2016 for a runny nose, cough, and swelling on her legs.