A woman who starved, tortured and then killed her maid in Singapore has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, with the judge describing the case as 'horrific'.
Singaporean Gaiyathiri Murugayan pleaded guilty to culpable homicide among 28 charges related to her abuse of Myanmar national Piang Ngiah Don, who was subjected to 14 months of beating that culminated in her death in 2016.
The abuse inflicted on Piang, 24, was captured on CCTV installed in the family home. She was stamped on, strangled, choked, battered with brooms and burnt with an iron, according to court documents.
Singaporean Gaiyathiri Murugayan subjected her maid Piang Ngiah Don, 24, to 14 months of abuse - including torture and beatings - that culminated in her death in 2016. Pictured: Police officers escort Murugayan (centre) to her home for investigations in Singapore in 2016
The domestic worker was only allowed to sleep for five hours a night and was provided very little food meaning she lost about 38 per cent of her body weight during her employment.
When Piang died in July 2016 after being assaulted over several hours by Murugayan, she weighed just 24 kilograms (53 pounds), which is the average weight of a seven-year-old girl.
Murugayan, 40, appeared in Signapore's High Court on Tuesday wearing glasses and a black mask, and sat silently with her eyes closed and head bowed as the judge read his decision.
After hearing an additional plea of mitigation submitted by Murugayan in a bid to avoid the life sentence sought by the prosecution, Justice See Kee Oon sentenced her to 30 years in prison starting from the date of her arrest in 2016.
'The extremely aggravated and horrific circumstances of the offences are crucial considerations that tip the scales towards retribution and deterrence,' the judge said in
