JAKARTA, INDONESIA: An appeal court in Malaysia has doubled the penalty for an employer convicted of raping an Indonesian maid to 32 years' imprisonment.
The court also ordered the rapist, Seow Eng Aik, to be lashed 18 times with a cane, despite him having filed the appeal. Seow was previously sentenced in 2005 to 16 years' imprisonment.
Seow's wife, Tan Seok Hoon, was also found guilty by the appeal court for assisting in holding the hands of the maid while her husband committed the offence.
The court also found evidence that Tan had scrubbed chilli into the victim's private part following the rape. Tan was also sentenced to six years in prison.
The court made a public statement that anyone who committed such crimes would be punished severely.
"Our reason for adding to the penalty was because this was a sadistic crime against an innocent girl who was supposed to be protected. But you, with the aid of your wife, raped the victim to satisfy your lust.
"The poor girl came all the way from Indonesia to earn a living, but you sexually abused her," said judge Suriyadi Halim Omar, as quoted by Bernama newswire on Wednesday (19 Nov). (The Jakarta Post/ ANN)
