Woman jailed for 30 years over torturing, killing maid

As per details, the maid died in July 2016, after her employer identified as Gaiyathiri Murugayan repeatedly assaulted her on daily basis.

The domestic worker had been employed by the family for over a year at the time of her death.  She was hired to help in taking care of four-year old daughter and one-year old son.

She was only allowed to sleep for five hours a night, and was forced to shower and relieve herself with the door open.

Provided very little food, she lost about 38 percent of her body weight during her employment, and only weighed 24 kilogrammes at the time of her death, said police.

The accused Gaiyathiri (41) pleaded guilty in February to 28 charges including culpable homicide. Additionally, another 87 charges were taken into account in sentencing.

Gaiyathiri’s lawyer Joseph Chen had asked for a sentence of eight to nine years, arguing that her mental health had turned her into an abuser.

She appeared in court today and sat silently with her eyes closed and head bowed as the judge read his decision.

The prosecution had sought a reduced charge of culpable homicide rather than murder which is punishable with the death penalty in Singapore after taking into account her mental health.

The judge termed the case ‘among the worst types of culpable homicide’.

Singapore is home to about 250,000 domestic workers who mostly come from poorer Asian countries, and stories of mistreatment are common there.