A Malaysian couple, who starved to death their Cambodian maid in 2012, will be hanged after the Court of Appeal found them guilty of murder instead of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
According to sources, they had been sentenced to 24 years of jail, but a unanimous decision overturned the previous conviction.
Hardware store owner Soh Chew Tong, 46, and his wife Chin Chui Ling, 43, were found guilty of manslaughter by the Penang High Court in May 2013.
The bruised body of the Cambodian maid Ms Mey Sichan, 24, was found by police at the couple’s residence in April 2012. The Cambodian domestic helper started working for the couple in July 2011 after she was certified by a doctor to be fit for work. Ms Mey, who was 1.48m tall, was just 26.1kg – grossly underweight – when her body was found.
A post-mortem showed she had 29 old and fresh injuries, including lacerations and bruises all over her body.
Upon hearing the ruling, Chin, who seemed taken aback, broke down while hugging her husband in the dock. She wept uncontrollably and slowly sat down while her husband stood expressionless. Their family members rushed to console them. Their lawyer confirmed that he had been instructed by his clients to file an appeal at the Federal Court.
Lead image credit: The Star/Asia News Network