Hong Kong Woman Found Guilty of Torturing TKI Erwiana

Liputan6.com, Hong Kong - Judge of District Court of Hong Kong Amanda Woodcock explained the findings of a high-profile case of mistreatment to Indonesian workers (TKI) Erwiana Sulistaningsih. She said the employer Law Wan-tung was found guilty of torturing Erwiana.

"Law Wan-tung was found guilty of 18 of 20 charges," she said, as quoted in South China Morning Post, Tuesday (02/10/2015).

According to Amanda, The court ruled that Law had threatened to kill Erwiana and her family to stop the maid from reporting her. Law also told the maid that her husband was rich and had lots of connections in Indonesia in order to make Erwiana did not blow the assault.

"The fact that she believed (Law would kill her parents) shows that she is a simple timid girl," the judge said.

"Law punched Erwiana so hard that her incisor teeth fractured. Another time, she stuck a metal tube from a vacuum cleaner into Erwiana’s mouth and twisted it for five to 10 seconds. The assaults led to cuts in the maid’s lips."

Moreover, the judge discovered Erwiana did not frame her employer and have a hidden financial agenda as Law’s lawyer Graham Harris SC alleged. The worker was seen as a just 'simple village girl', given that the maid once believed her employer installed CCTV to monitor her at home and was unable to open the electronic lock on the front door.

Amanda added Law is due to be sentenced later this month. She sought two reports to study Law’s mental state and adjourned the case to February 27 for mitigation and sentence.

After the judge stated the verdict, Erwiana told that she was "very happy", as cited in BBC.

While, Law denied all the abuse charges laid against her, but admitted to a separate charge of not buying insurance for Ms Erwiana. The employer's defence lawyers had accused Ms Erwiana of being "opportunistic" and argued she sustained her injuries because of her clumsiness.

Amnesty International in a report in 2013 revealed that maids, involving Erwiana, were being abused and exploited in Hong Kong, and called on the city's government to resolve the issue. Ms Erwiana was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people last year. (Riz/Ein)