Hong Kong woman guilty in Indonesian maid torture case

[webfact]

Hong Kong woman guilty in Indonesian maid torture case
KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong woman who was accused of torturing her Indonesian maid in a case that sparked outrage for the scale of its brutality was convicted of a slew of assault and other charges on Tuesday.

A judge found Law Wan-tung guilty of 18 charges that also included criminal intimidation and failure to pay wages or give time off work to Erwiana Sulistyaningsih.

Her case highlighted the vulnerabilities of migrants working as domestic staff across Asia and the Middle East.

It gained widespread attention after photos of her injuries circulated among Indonesians in Hong Kong. They showed her face, hands and legs covered with scabs and lacerations, and blackened, peeling skin around her feet.

District Court Judge Amanda Woodcock said that based on the testimony by the maid and other witnesses, "I am sure the defendant did assault, wound and threaten (Sulistyaningsih) as charged."

Court heard that Law punched Sulistyaningsih in the mouth, fracturing some teeth; jammed a metal vacuum cleaner tube in her mouth, cutting her lip; and hit her on the back with a feather duster when she was sleeping. Law also forced Sulistyaningsih to stand naked in the bathroom while she splashed water on and pointed a fan at her.

Law was found not guilty of two other charges. She was ordered to pay about 48,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,200) in outstanding wages to Sulistyaningsih. Law is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27.

After the verdict, supporters applauded the diminutive Sulistyaningsih, who was in court. She told reporters outside that she was happy "because I will get the justice from Hong Kong."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-10

[aothai]

Bravo, at least guilty, but far too little punishment for this inhuman people.

[scorecard]

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Bravo, at least guilty, but far too little punishment for this inhuman people.

The HK$48,000 is for outstanding unpaid wages.

Her punishment is to be handed down on 27 Feb. Hope she goes to jail for a long time plus has to do hard demeaning labor every day.

[Berkshire]

The face of evil can be seen here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-31340638

[harveyw]

She should get a lot more than just back pay .

[bangon04]

Once again the power of social media shames the powers-that-be into action...

If it is the only way to get a hearing, then so be it.

[bendejo]

Hong Kong has a huge number of women from The Philippines working as domestics, you never hear stories about them getting this kind of abuse. Same goes for Malaysia and Singapore, and it's always the Indonesian women as the victims. My guess is the Philippinas won't take that kind of abuse.

A few years ago an Indian couple in Berkeley, California was convicted for this kind of thing (I think the 'maid' was also Indian). Even though the couple was in their 60s or 70s the judge threw the book at them, like 25 years or thereabouts.

No excuse for this crap, regardless of who you think you are. The KAL nut case is another example of this kind of primitive mindset.

[spidermike007]

Well, the housewife is going to have the ability to experience what is feels like to be abused now. She will make many new friends in prison, who will take advantage of her in untold ways. Wonderful. It will be a beautiful thing. Maybe she will learn something. Maybe she will actually evolve as a soul, and improve as a human being. Maybe she will develop some humility. Getting poked and prodded by strangers, is something that can really turn some people around.