Court upholds life sentence for maid

Court upholds life sentence for maid

SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal has upheld the life sentence imposed on a 19-year-old Indonesian maid who strangled her employer's mother-in-law, news reports said on Tuesday.

Purwanti Parji had admitted causing Har Chit Heang's death on August 4, 2004, and pleaded guilty in September to a charge of culpable homicide.

Lawyer Subhas Anandan argued Monday that the sentence was too harsh considering that Purwanti was only 17 at the time and a first offender, The Straits Times said.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Bala Reddy urged the court to "send a clear signal that domestic violence ... will be severely dealt with".

Police found the 57-year-old woman, with injuries on her neck and right eye, lying face up and motionless in a room in a flat.

Purwanti told police she had been angry because Har had scolded her. --DPA