Woman jailed nine months for maid abuse

THE wife of the man who starved and beat their maid to death appeared in court on Wednesday with hair and nails cut short, prepared to go to jail. 

But moments after Tan Chai Hong, 30, was sentenced to nine months’ jail for her part in the torture of Muawanatul Chasanah, Tan’s lawyer told the court she was appealing against the sentence. She is now out on S$5,000 (RM10,500) bail. 

Tan admitted last month that in November 2001, she grabbed and squeezed Muawanatul’s breasts because the maid had not bathed Tan’s daughter properly. A month later, the maid was dead. 

Muawanatul had been abused for nine months by Tan’s husband, Ng Hua Chye, who is now serving 18 1/2 years in prison. Ng is also to be caned 12 times for what has been described as Singapore’s worst case of maid abuse. 

In passing sentence, magistrate Alvin Koh also considered a second charge against Tan, that she had intentionally kept it from the police that her husband had thrown hot water on the maid.  

“This vicious attack which you inflicted on her breasts revealed your latent disregard for her dignity as a human being and as a woman,” Koh said. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network  

Another perspective from The Straits Times, a partner of Asia News Network.