Abusive boss jailed for killing maid with pan
A woman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for beating her maid to death with a frying pan.
Abu Dhabi Criminal Court also jailed the woman’s neighbour, who was also convicted of attacking the Indonesian victim, to 13 years behind bars.
The court also ordered that the defendants, who are both Emirati, each pay blood money of Dhs200,000 to the family of the maid.
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A woman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in Abu Dhabi for beating her maid to death with a frying pan
Prosecutors told the court that the employer and her neighbour struck the maid with a frying pan in a brutal attack after the pair had removed the victim’s clothes.
The two defendants were also accused of trying to cover up their crime by telling investigators that the maid had suffered her head injuries when she slipped and fell.
Both defendants denied assault leading to death when they appeared at an earlier hearing, each accusing the other of having killed the victim.
The employer accused her neighbour of being gay and said he killed the maid because the victim had threatened to report his homosexuality to the police. The neighbour denied the claim and said he was present at the woman’s house when she attacked her maid. He claimed he did not take part in the beating.
A witness testified that the employer used to regularly strip the victim to humiliate her and beat her daily.
The witness also said the employer would torture her maid by forcing her to eat large amounts of food mixed with chili. Another witness, an Ethiopian maid who worked in the same house, also testified that the victim was beaten most days by their employer.
She told the court that on the day of the maid’s death, she heard the victim screaming. She added that when she went to find out what was happening, she found her colleague lying naked on the floor and unconscious.
The woman’s employer was arrested and interviewed by the police. The court was told that during questioning, the employer confessed to beating her maid with a frying pan and said she did so because she wanted to discipline her. However, the woman told the police that she had not intended to kill the maid.
ismail@7days.ae
Comments
by Mayii
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 6:04PM
“Good job Abu Dhabi criminal court. Atleast justice for the maid has been earned.. but it think, 16 years in prison is not enough. The convicted should be beaten by frying pan to feel the pain the maid felt before dying. They should be beaten everyday for 16 years or the rest of their lives.”
by Pinoy
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 1:03PM
“What is wrong with a society when a report can include:
'...A witness testified that the employer used to regularly strip the victim to humiliate her and beat her daily.
The witness also said the employer would torture her maid by forcing her to eat large amounts of food mixed with chili.............'
...........and yet that witness was so powerless or so uninterested that they either could not or chose not to report it to the police.
It is something I've noticed here over the years. Whenever somebody says 'This is wrong!. Report your employer to the police' the usual response is 'they wont do anything except tell my employer and then I get punished some more'.
It's very sad.”
by Fatima_Suhail
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 12:37PM
“This is brutality at its extreme. How heartless and inhumane can employers' be with their maids ?”
by DIWATA
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 11:45AM
“these employer who are beating their maids has no heart... they are inhuman as more than an animal.. really, how can they do this to other people since its not there family blood.. maids, are going abroad to work for their family back home but what happen to them, they are always encountered tortured, maltreated and raped by their employer. ”
by Dolly
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 9:57AM
“What is wrong with people?!?!? Since when is it OK to beat another person? You read about it in the paper more than one time per week. And they say they beat their maid, child etc. to dicipline him or her, violence is NEVER ok! This is a big problem but I think the government have to dig deeper to solve this problem. Where does a ma'm get the idea of hitting her maid? Perhaps she was beaten as a child, perhaps her husband is beating her. Usually people that are abusing other people have been abused themselves. And what example do you set for your children when you beat the maid. I can't count on how many times I've seen kids being extremly rude to their maids and nannys.
It may be a silly saying but I try to live by it and it makes me feel good about myself. Treat others like you wanna be treated. I believe in the good and doing good!”
by Gavtek
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 8:13AM
“This poor woman was beaten daily and only had death to look forward to in order to make the beatings stop. How many other maids are there out there who are not able to rely on death to stop being tortured? Why are there not any welfare officers/inspectors routinely checking on maids to ensure they're being treated humanely? This happens far too regularly to be ignored.”