Asia-Pacific News -- Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's High Court sentenced an Indonesian maid to eight years in jail for causing the death of her employer during a fight, a news report said Tuesday.
Aida Sukardi, 24, had pleaded guilty to causing the death of 66-year-old Mok Lan at her home in the northern state of Penang in 2002, the New Straits Times daily said.
Sukardi claimed that prior to her death, Mok Lan had hit her with a mop during a quarrel.
In a written statement, Sukardi said she retaliated and slapped Mok Lan, causing the victim to fall on a blunt object.
The woman died from severe head injuries and loss of blood, the report said. The victim's daughter found Mok Lan's body on the floor when she returned home hours later.
The high court judge ordered the maid to serve her sentence from the date of her arrest in 2003.
Official records showed that as of mid-2006, some 30 per cent of the 1.84 million registered foreign workers in Malaysia were maids.
Indonesians make up the largest number of foreign maids in Malaysia, followed by Filipino maids.
