By PTI
SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin police officer went on trial in Singapore on Thursday for his role in the death of a maid from Myanmar for which his former wife and mother-in-law are already serving long-term jail sentences.
Kevin Chelvam, 44, the registered employer of Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don, 24, who died following prolonged and heinous abuse while under his employment, claimed trial to four charges, The Straits Times newspaper reported.
Piang Don started working for Chelvam’s family in May 2015 and died on July 26, 2016. She just weighed 24 kg at the time of her death.
On the night of July 25, 2016, the maid was assaulted by Gaiyathiri and Prema for being too slow in doing laundry.
The next morning, Gaiyathiri and Chelvam checked on her and found her motionless on the floor.
He then left the flat for work.
Chelvam rushed home when his wife called and told him Piang Don was dead.
His charges include voluntarily causing hurt and abetment of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Piang Don by starvation.
He is also contesting one charge of giving false information to a police officer and another of removing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras from his home which recorded the abuse.
Chelvam was suspended from the police force in August 2016, days after Piang Ngaih Don’s death.
Irritated that his emaciated maid was falling asleep while eating, the husband of a convicted maid abuser allegedly grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground, the charge read, as reported by the Singapore Daily.
As Piang Ngaih Don’s employer, Chelvam was fully aware of the atrocities that occurred under his roof, Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh said.
He was complicit in Gaiyathiri’s and Prema’s offences by his conscious indifference to the deceased’s plight, which he allowed to continue unabated until her death, Koh said.
Chelvam’s ex-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 43, was sentenced in June 2021 to 30 years in prison – the longest jail term meted out in a maid abuse case in Singapore.
His mother-in-law Prema S Naraynasamy, 64, who joined her daughter Gaiyathiri in torturing the maid, was sentenced to 14 years in January.
Prema was given three years more of jail term in June after she admitted to one charge of instigating Chelvam to cause evidence of the offences to disappear, bringing her total jail term to 17 years.
Chelvam has two children aged one and four.
He and his wife got divorced in 2020.
Gaiyathiri and Prema are expected to take the stand as prosecution witnesses during the trial.
The prosecution’s list of witnesses also includes investigation officers involved in the case and a forensic pathologist, the report added.
SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin police officer went on trial in Singapore on Thursday for his role in the death of a maid from Myanmar for which his former wife and mother-in-law are already serving long-term jail sentences.
Kevin Chelvam, 44, the registered employer of Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don, 24, who died following prolonged and heinous abuse while under his employment, claimed trial to four charges, The Straits Times newspaper reported.
Piang Don started working for Chelvam’s family in May 2015 and died on July 26, 2016. She just weighed 24 kg at the time of her death.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
On the night of July 25, 2016, the maid was assaulted by Gaiyathiri and Prema for being too slow in doing laundry.
The next morning, Gaiyathiri and Chelvam checked on her and found her motionless on the floor.
He then left the flat for work.
Chelvam rushed home when his wife called and told him Piang Don was dead.
His charges include voluntarily causing hurt and abetment of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Piang Don by starvation.
He is also contesting one charge of giving false information to a police officer and another of removing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras from his home which recorded the abuse.
Chelvam was suspended from the police force in August 2016, days after Piang Ngaih Don’s death.
Irritated that his emaciated maid was falling asleep while eating, the husband of a convicted maid abuser allegedly grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground, the charge read, as reported by the Singapore Daily.
As Piang Ngaih Don’s employer, Chelvam was fully aware of the atrocities that occurred under his roof, Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh said.
He was complicit in Gaiyathiri’s and Prema’s offences by his conscious indifference to the deceased’s plight, which he allowed to continue unabated until her death, Koh said.
Chelvam’s ex-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 43, was sentenced in June 2021 to 30 years in prison – the longest jail term meted out in a maid abuse case in Singapore.
His mother-in-law Prema S Naraynasamy, 64, who joined her daughter Gaiyathiri in torturing the maid, was sentenced to 14 years in January.
Prema was given three years more of jail term in June after she admitted to one charge of instigating Chelvam to cause evidence of the offences to disappear, bringing her total jail term to 17 years.
Chelvam has two children aged one and four.
He and his wife got divorced in 2020.
Gaiyathiri and Prema are expected to take the stand as prosecution witnesses during the trial.
The prosecution’s list of witnesses also includes investigation officers involved in the case and a forensic pathologist, the report added.
