Woman pleads guilty to joining daughter in abusing Myanmar maid who was tortured to death
Posted on 22 November 2022 | 2,379 views | 12 comments
David Sun
The Straits Times
November 21, 2022 The mother of one of Singapore’s worst maid abusers, whose helper died, pleaded guilty on Monday to also abusing the maid. Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, pleaded guilty to 47 charges of voluntarily causing hurt to the maid and one charge of attempting to voluntarily cause hurt. She is claiming trial to one charge of causing evidence to disappear.
She had originally also faced a murder charge, but was later given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.
The victim, Ms Piang Ngaih Don, 24, from Myanmar, had been starved, tortured and, ultimately, killed.
Between October 2015 and her death in July 2016, Ms Piang Ngaih Don was physically assaulted almost daily, deprived of food and rest, and made to shower and relieve herself with the toilet door open.
In the last 12 days of her life, she was tied to the window grille at night while she slept on the floor in the same room as Prema, who slept on the bed.
Ms Piang Ngaih Don weighed 39kg when she started working for the family on May 28, 2015, but weighed a mere 24kg when she died on July 26, 2016, from the final assault.
Several clips taken from cameras installed in their three-bedroom flat in Bishan were played in court on Monday, showing Prema and her daughter repeatedly abusing Ms Piang Ngaih Don.
In one of the clips, Prema was seen beating the maid with a bamboo pole that was used to hang clothes.
In another, she had grabbed Ms Piang Ngaih Don by the hair, dragging her to the ground before lifting her up by her hair again.
Other clips showed Prema violently shaking Ms Piang Ngaih Don and beating her as she was relieving herself in the toilet.
The autopsy found that the maid died from a brain injury following severe blunt trauma to the neck.
In total, she was found to have 31 recent scars and 47 external injuries on all parts of her body, including the face, neck and limbs.
Her neck had been extensively injured, with her trachea and laryngeal cartilages becoming clearly visible on the outside.
Prema’s daughter, housewife Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 41, the wife of a police officer, had admitted in February 2021 to starving, torturing and killing Ms Piang Ngaih Don.
Gaiyathiri had been sentenced on June 22, 2021, to 30 years in prison – the longest jail term meted out here in a maid abuse case.
The Straits Times
November 21, 2022 The mother of one of Singapore’s worst maid abusers, whose helper died, pleaded guilty on Monday to also abusing the maid. Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, pleaded guilty to 47 charges of voluntarily causing hurt to the maid and one charge of attempting to voluntarily cause hurt.
Gaiyathiri Murugayan being taken back by police to her home in Bishan for investigations on Aug 3, 2016. PHOTO: ST FILE
Source:
The Straits Times
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