Having a domestic helper in the household is both an added help and an extra responsibility, as they take care of the household, while employers share the same responsibility to provide them with an adequate living environment. Under no circumstances do domestic helpers fall beneath any requirement to have their basic needs met while in service, especially when most cases require them to be living-in with the family.
Former MasterChef Malaysia finalist Etiqah Siti Noorashikeen Mohd Sulong and her now ex-husband, Mohammad Ambree Yunos, have been sentenced to 34 years in prison, after having been found guilty by the Kota Kinabalu High Court for the torture and murder of their domestic helper in 2021. Yunos was sentenced to an extra 12 strokes of the cane, while Sulang was exempted due to her gender under Section 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
According to reports by Sabah Media, Judge Datuk Dr Lim Hock Leng states that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt as the 28-year-old victim, Nur Afiyah Daeng Damin, was proven to have died due to injuries sustained from the continuous torture by the couple. The pair had also acted with common intent, as photos and videos from the accused’s mobile phones depict clear evidence to record and preserve the victim’s suffering.
Deputy Prosecutor Raya Dacia Jane Romanus said, “This was not a murder resulting from anger or provocation. This was a cruel and deliberate, prolonged beating. The injuries suffered by the deceased did not occur all at once, but in a series of continuous torture, which clearly shows the defendant’s intention to cause death”. He added that an employer should uphold the responsibility to provide shelter, food and protection. In this case, the victim was denied any basic human rights and was tortured every day, which led to her death.
Despite having sought the mandatory death penalty, the judge decided on the minimum sentence allowed under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Sources: Sabah Media, The Star
Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article.
