Indonesia maid in Singapore kills widow after called stupid
Maids across the world face hardships.
DUBAI: An Indonesian maid has pleaded guilty to killing her 87-year-old Singaporean widow boss after she had been called stupid, local reports said on Thursday.
The teenage maid Vitria Depsi Wahyuno, now 19, lied about her age in order to land the position in 2009, and had been working only five days before she killed the woman.
According to Singapore law, house workers must be at least 23-years-old to work in the country.
Wahyuno now faces a lengthy jail term. Prosecutors have asked for a 20-year jail sentence for the young woman.
The defense, pleading for leniency, said Wahyuno was of “low intelligence” and could “not cope” with the demanding employer, who called her names like “bodoh”, an Indonesian and Malay slang word for “stupid.”
Neighbors of the woman told the Straits Times that Sng was a “fierce” woman who could often be heard scolding Wahyuno.
Other local papers said Sng had gone through 7 maids, including Wahyuno, since 2003.
Sng’s daughter and granddaughter described her in a statement delivered in court as a strong, resourceful and meticulous woman who was kind-hearted but could be impatient at times, the Straits Times said.
The victim suffered fractured ribs, cuts and bruises after being hit with a vase and smothered with a pillow before her neck was squeezed, according to autopsy results.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 7.
More than 200,000 maids, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, work in wealthy Singapore.
BM
Section: East Asia, Latest News, Women
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