Hong Kong (CNN)A Hong Kong housewife has been sentenced to six years in prison for abusing a young Indonesian worker she kept prisoner in he...
Hong Kong (CNN)A Hong Kong housewife has been sentenced to six years in prison for abusing a young Indonesian worker she kept prisoner in her home.
Earlier this month, Law Wan-tung, a 44-year-old mother of two, was found guilty of 18 of 20 charges, including the most serious crime of grievous bodily harm.
The court heard Law regularly beat 23-year-old Erwiana Sulistyaningsih with mop handles, coat hangers and, on at least one occasion, shoved a rod from a vacuum cleaner into her mouth.
The abuse only ended when Law drove her employee to Hong Kong International Airport with a one-way ticket home.
She instructed Erwiana to wear six layers of clothing and a diaper so the abuse wouldn't be detected. However, other Indonesian women noticed her injuries at the airport and urged her to call police.
Surrounded by supporters yelling "No reform, no justice" and "We are workers, we are not slaves," Erwiana attended court to see her abuser sentenced. After the trial, she told CNN she forgave Law but wanted to see justice done.
Not a 'callous monster'
During the sentencing hearing, Law's lawyer conceded it was a bad case of abuse "but not the worst of its kind."
Graham Harris said Law had very high standards of cleanliness due to her son's skin allergy and that Erwiana had failed to meet her expectations.
Describing his client as a "doting mother," Harris said Law had been "vilified, demonized and ostracized," and was not the "callous monster" as portrayed by some during the case.
'A simple young lady'
When the trial ended, Judge Amanda Woodcock described Erwiana as "a simple young lady who tried to financially better her life and that of her family."
Erwiana thought she was under surveillance at all times, and believed Law's threats that her family would be killed if she told anyone about the abuse. "They made her compliant and more subservient," Woodcock said.
During the trial it emerged Erwiana slept on the floor, moving the vacuum cleaner and bags of books to clear enough space to stretch out.
She was only permitted to sleep between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., when she was woken to resume work cleaning Law's home.
She was only given meager rations and one day, knocked on a neighbor's door to ask for food. The neighbor shut the door. Erwiana said Law's children overheard and told their mother who then threatened her again.
Law's children -- her 18-year-old son Edmund Tsui Wing-kit and 16-year-old daughter referred to only as "Kelly" to protect her identity -- testified that they didn't see or notice the abuse that went on in their home during the seven months Erwiana worked there.
This articles is originally featured on CNN: Hong Kong housewife jailed for six years for abusing young Indonesian maid
Earlier this month, Law Wan-tung, a 44-year-old mother of two, was found guilty of 18 of 20 charges, including the most serious crime of grievous bodily harm.
The court heard Law regularly beat 23-year-old Erwiana Sulistyaningsih with mop handles, coat hangers and, on at least one occasion, shoved a rod from a vacuum cleaner into her mouth.
The abuse only ended when Law drove her employee to Hong Kong International Airport with a one-way ticket home.
 |
| Former domestic worker Erwiana Sulistyaningsih arrives at a Hong Kong court on Tuesday, February 10, ahead of the verdict in an assault case against her former employer. |
Surrounded by supporters yelling "No reform, no justice" and "We are workers, we are not slaves," Erwiana attended court to see her abuser sentenced. After the trial, she told CNN she forgave Law but wanted to see justice done.
Not a 'callous monster'
During the sentencing hearing, Law's lawyer conceded it was a bad case of abuse "but not the worst of its kind."
Graham Harris said Law had very high standards of cleanliness due to her son's skin allergy and that Erwiana had failed to meet her expectations.
Describing his client as a "doting mother," Harris said Law had been "vilified, demonized and ostracized," and was not the "callous monster" as portrayed by some during the case.
'A simple young lady'
When the trial ended, Judge Amanda Woodcock described Erwiana as "a simple young lady who tried to financially better her life and that of her family."
Erwiana thought she was under surveillance at all times, and believed Law's threats that her family would be killed if she told anyone about the abuse. "They made her compliant and more subservient," Woodcock said.
During the trial it emerged Erwiana slept on the floor, moving the vacuum cleaner and bags of books to clear enough space to stretch out.
She was only permitted to sleep between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., when she was woken to resume work cleaning Law's home.
 |
| Former domestic worker Erwiana Sulistyaningsih arrives at a Hong Kong court on Tuesday, February 10, ahead of the verdict in an assault case against her former employer. |
Law's children -- her 18-year-old son Edmund Tsui Wing-kit and 16-year-old daughter referred to only as "Kelly" to protect her identity -- testified that they didn't see or notice the abuse that went on in their home during the seven months Erwiana worked there.
This articles is originally featured on CNN: Hong Kong housewife jailed for six years for abusing young Indonesian maid
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