SINGAPORE, Nov 21 — The mother of a woman who was sentenced to 30 years’ jail last year for the horrific abuse of a domestic worker, leading to her death, pleaded guilty today to multiple charges related to the same case.
From around May 2016, 64-year-old Prema S Naraynasamy joined her daughter, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, in abusing Myanmarese Piang Ngaih Don, ultimately killing the 24-year-old, the court heard.
Among other things, the duo assaulted Piang, limited her sleep to just five hours a night, and deprived her of food, drawing public outrage when their deeds first came to light.
Prema will be sentenced on Jan 9 for the 48 charges of voluntarily causing hurt. She is also currently contesting one separate charge for causing the disappearance of evidence, though no specific details were mentioned in court about what she had done.
What happened
Today, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stephanie Koh told the court that Prema would sleep in the same room as Piang whenever she stayed over at her daughter’s place, knowing that Piang was tied to the window grill.
In the months leading to her death, Piang was forced to wear multiple layers of face masks as part of a set of strict rules she had to follow, as Prema and Gaiyathiri perceived her to have poor hygiene. They also thought of Piang as a slow worker who ate too much.
DPP Koh added that Piang was not given any privacy, and had to shower and relieve herself while either Prema or Gaiyathiri watched.
Closed-circuit television video (CCTV) installed in the house recorded 35 days of footage, with Prema seen on most days. Her acts of abuse were recorded; some of which were shown to the court without audio.
In one recording, Prema can be seen punching Piang, before using a pole used to dry clothes to hit Piang multiple times on the head and neck at a window near their kitchen. Piang then continues to hang the clothes on the pole, before Prema picks up the clothing rack to hit her multiple times again.
In another recording, Prema throws Piang on the kitchen floor, before handing her a plate of food. As Piang eats with her hands while seated on the floor, Prema slaps her twice. A man was also seen grabbing Piang by her hair and lifting her off the floor.
As footage was shown, Prema, who was present in court, would occasionally glance at the screen expressionless, but kept her head down most of the time.
DPP Koh said in the hours before Piang died, Prema choked her by the neck and poured a basin of water on her, before her daughter tied Piang to a window grille, as they occasionally did, and assaulted her some more.
Piang was left soaking wet and tied to the window grille in the bedroom, as Prema slept on the bed in the same room. After finding Piang motionless the next morning, Prema and Gaiyathiri tried to revive Piang but were unsuccessful.
Piang lost 15kg and weighed just 24kg when she died in the family’s three-bedroom flat along Bishan Street 11 on July 26, 2016.
Detailing the events that happened after Prema and Gaiyathri found Piang unconscious, DPP Koh said the duo had called a doctor for a house visit, claiming that they had found her on the kitchen floor that morning.
Upon arriving at the house, the doctor determined that Piang was dead, and insisted that the duo call the police. While they asked if they could call an ambulance instead, the doctor insisted they call the police, and said she would wait at the house until the police arrived.
Gaiyathiri asked for some time to call her husband, and the doctor decided to call for an ambulance herself.
Among multiple injuries found on Piang, she had a neck fracture and multiple head injuries.
Prema’s daughter, Gaiyathiri, pleaded guilty to culpable homicide in the High Court and was sentenced in June last year to 30 years’ jail.
Gaiyathiri had admitted to starving and abusing Piang almost daily over nine months, with Prema joining in the abusive acts.
Gaiyathiri’s former husband, Kelvin Chelvam, faces five charges. The suspended police staff sergeant had allegedly removed the CCTV recorder system installed in the flat, and purportedly lied to investigators that their tenants had requested this.
The couple divorced on January 13, 2020.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Prema could have been jailed up to five years, or fined up to S$10,000, or both. — TODAY