Couple on trial for starving maid for 15 months to plead guilty

SINGAPORE — A couple accused of starving their maid over 15 months indicated yesterday that they intend to plead guilty.

Husband and wife Lim Choon Hong and Chong Sui Foon, both 47, are on trial for starving Ms Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, 40, causing her weight to drop from 49kg to 29kg in almost 15 months.

They face charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, which states that employers are responsible for the “maintenance” of their foreign employee, including providing them with adequate food.

Ms Thelma earlier testified that she fled only after being mistreated and starved for over a year, as her employers were always following her around the house.

“Every movement I make in the house, they are following, watching me, scolding me,” she told the court in December last year.

A maid agent had also testified that Ms Thelma was not the first maid to complain about not being given adequate food or rest under the Lims’ employment.

However, Lim had earlier said that he had never restricted Ms Thelma in any way. He also said his wife was obsessive about food because she had been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa as a teenager and also suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder.

The couple are out on bail of S$3,000 each and face up to 12 months’ imprisonment and a fine of S$10,000 if convicted. Their case will be heard on Wednesday. CHANNEL NEWSASIA