Foreign domestic workers have it pretty tough here.
They often take on workloads that most of us would balk at, and for much less money.
Yet, many residents take their frustrations out on them because they’re an easy target.
Sometimes, when this is taken too far, it can have horrific consequences.
Prosecutors Seeking Life Sentence for Woman Who Abused and Starved Domestic Worker for 9 Months
Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for a woman who repeatedly abused and starved her domestic worker over nine months.
Her helper, Piang Ngaih Don, weighed only 24kg when she died on 26 July 2016. The 24-year-old Myanmar national was deprived of food and water, and lost a total of 15 kg.
Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 40, pleaded guilty to 28 charges on Tuesday (23 Feb), which included culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful restraint, and causing hurt or grievous hurt to Piang.
Another 87 similar charges will be taken into consideration.
The prosecution argued that this case was “especially heinous and especially horrific” enough to warrant life imprisonment.
So, what happened?
Assaulted Helper Almost Every Day
Piang began working in Gaiyathiri’s household in 2015. This was her first job overseas. She took it to support her three-year-old son.
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. So, 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.
Gayathiri had actually installed CCTV cameras to monitor Piang, but they ended up recording her acts of abuse towards her helper.
The abuse was verbal at first, and then 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.
When the doctor saw bruises around her eye sockets and cheeks, Gaiyathiri said the victim was clumsy and fell down often.
Tied Up For 12 Days
In the 12 days before her death, Piang’s hands were tied to a window grille, so she that she wouldn’t leave the room.
Then, on the night of 25 July 2016, the inevitable happened.
Angry that she was doing laundry too slowly, Gaiyathiri hit Piang with a clenched fist, pulled her hair, and told her to move faster.
Piang began swaying on her feet after this, but this only incensed her employer further, as Gayathiri struck her head with a detergent bottle. Piang could not stand up after this.
Gaiyathiri called her mother over, and together they assaulted the victim, splashing water on her.
Prema dragged Piang across the kitchen and living room to the bedroom. There, Gaiyathiri kicked the victim in the stomach and Prema punched and strangled her.
Gayathiri also refused to give the victim dinner, and forcefully tied her hands to the window grille just before midnight.
Then, she kicked her in the stomach again, and left her on the floor.
Kicked & Stomped On Helper Even When She Was Motionless
At around 5am the next morning, Gaiyathiri tried to wake Piang up, but failed.
Instead of becoming concerned, she kicked and stomped on her helper’s head and neck. She then lifted Piang up by her hair and pulled her head before strangling her.
When both Prema and Gayathiri were unable to wake the victim up, they grew worried.
They tried feeding her some Nestum and warmed her legs with their hands, but this didn’t work either.
So, they called a doctor to the house, and lied that they had found Piang on the floor, supposedly after she had fallen.
The doctor on the phone advised them to call an ambulance, but Gaythiri insisted on waiting.
Then, Gayathiri and Prema changed the victim out of her wet clothes and carried her to the sofa.
When the doctor arrived at 10.50am, it was too late.
The victim was lying on the sofa with no pulse, cold skin, and a gaping mouth. She informed the two women that the victim was dead.
When the authorities arrived, both Gaiyathiri and Prema pretended to be shocked and said Piang had been moving minutes before the doctor arrived.
When asked if Piang had been fed, because she was very thin, Prema replied that the victim “ate a lot”.
47 External Injuries Found
An autopsy revealed that Piang died of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy – a type of brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen of blood flow – with severe blunt trauma to the neck.
The repeated choking of the victim is believed to have led to the brain injury.
She had 31 recent scars and 47 external injuries on her body.
After her arrest, Gaiyathiri was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
Since these illnesses were assessed to have contributed substantially to her committing the offences, her murder charge was reduced.
Notwithstanding this, the prosecution is seeking the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
“That one human being would treat another in this evil and utterly inhumane manner is cause for the righteous anger of the court; and the law must come down with full force to appropriately vindicate the fundamental values of society and human dignity that have been violated in this case,” Senior Counsel Mohamed Faizal said.
The defence, on the other hand, asked for 14 years’ jail, saying their client’s story is a “tragic one”.
“She is very sorry. She begs this court for mercy and she promises this court that she will continue with all the treatments necessary for her well-being.”
Feature Image: Shutterstock.com / mentatdgt
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