Mum, daughter hit maid

The Straits Times

March 27, 2009

By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent A HOUSEWIFE and her mother who initially went on trial for maid abuse changed their pleas to guilty on Friday. Maid escaped from kitchen window After Teng assaulted her on July 5, the maid climbed out of the kitchen window and made her way across a ledge on the fifth-floor to the staircase landing. She went to a mosque and some people took her to the embassy where she made a complaint. ... more Loke Phooi Ling, 38, Teng Chen Lian, 67, both Malaysians, and Loke's husband, Stanley Kuah Kian Chong, 38, also a Malaysian bank executive, had claimed trial to 32, six and three charges respectively, of causing hurt to their Indonesian maid. The prosecution had not closed its case when the defence made an offer to the former earlier this week. Four prosecution witnesses had testified so far over nine days of hearing before District Judge Jill Tan. Loke admitted grabbing Ms Susilawati Kusnata's hair and banging her head against the wall, punching her in the left eye, stamping on her feet and using household implements to hit the 23-year-old, among the 10 charges. The abuses took place at their Pasir Ris flat between March and July 2007. Another 19 charges were taken into consideration. Teng pleaded guilty to stamping Ms Susilawati on her thighs, slapping her cheeks and hitting her on the head on July 5 the same year. She also admitted to pushing the maid, causing her to fall. Another charge was taken into consideration. The court heard that from end-March to July 4, 2007, the maid was physically abused over numerous times by Loke and other household members. The victim also did not get enough rest and food and lost nearly 13kg over the four months she was with the family.