Melbourne couple charged with slavery and abuse of Indonesian woman
Consensus Summary
A Melbourne couple, Chee Kit Chong and Angi Yeh Ling Liaw, are on trial for allegedly enslaving an Indonesian woman in their Point Cook home from early 2022 until she fled in October. The woman, a 61-year-old pastor who had moved to Australia with the couple in 2017, was allegedly subjected to severe abuse including beatings, sleep deprivation, and starvation after Chong accused her of causing financial trouble. Prosecutors claim the couple controlled her movements, forced her to perform domestic labor, and threatened her with deportation unless she paid a million dollars. The womanâs injuriesâincluding malnutrition, swelling, and lacerationsâwere documented at St Vincentâs Hospital before she escaped. Both defendants deny the charges, with Chongâs lawyer suggesting the womanâs contributions were voluntary and Liawâs lawyer arguing there was little evidence against her. The couple first met the woman in Malaysia in 2015, and she later became homeless after they left her there without warning in 2017 before asking her to return in 2021. The trial, which began in early 2024, continues as jurors weigh the prosecutionâs claims against the defendantsâ denials.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Chee Kit âMaxâ Chong and Angi Yeh Ling Liaw are facing trial in Victoriaâs County Court for slavery-related offences, both pleading not guilty
- The alleged victim was a 61-year-old Indonesian woman who lived with the couple in their Point Cook, Melbourne home from January 2022 until she fled in October 2022
- The woman was allegedly subjected to beatings, restrictions on food, sleep, and movement, and forced to perform domestic labor including cooking, cleaning, and massaging Chongâs legs
- Chong allegedly told the woman she could leave only if she paid one million dollars, otherwise she had to stay
- The woman presented to St Vincentâs Hospital in October 2022 with injuries including a swollen ear, laceration to the foot, leg swelling, and malnutrition indicators
- The couple first met the woman in Malaysia in 2015 when she was a pastor at Chongâs church, and she later moved to Melbourne with them in 2017
- The couple allegedly returned to Malaysia without informing the woman in 2017, leaving her homeless for four years before asking her to return in 2021
- The womanâs death in 2024 is unrelated to the case
- Chong is charged with intentionally possessing a slave and three counts of common assault; Liaw is charged with assisting or encouraging the slavery offence
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC explicitly stated the woman described the relationship as âHeâs a master, Iâm a maid. Iâm a helper onlyâ
- The woman was allegedly forced to sleep on the stairs or in the garage after initially being given a bedroom
- The prosecutor mentioned the woman was âhomelessâ after the couple left her in Malaysia, though the ABC article uses the term âunlawful immigration statusâ
- The article includes the phrase âwelfare nemilliedsâ (likely a typo for âwelfare needsâ) in the prosecutorâs description of restrictions
- The defense lawyer Diana Price asked jurors to consider whether the womanâs contributions were âanything different to what you might expect in a family of three adults and two childrenâ
- The ABC article explicitly states the woman was an Indonesian national, while NEWSCOMAU only refers to her as Malaysian-born
- The ABC includes the detail that Chong allegedly hit the woman with a vacuum cleaner after she fell asleep during a leg massage
- The ABC mentions the woman was ordered to stand up all night to prevent sleep and locked in the garage as punishments
- The ABC specifies the womanâs injuries were noted by âlocal medical clinics and a hospitalâ rather than just one hospital
- The ABC includes the defense claim that Chong denied ordering tasks, saying it was the womanâs idea
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU says the woman was âMalaysian-bornâ while ABC states she was an âIndonesian nationalâ
- NEWSCOMAU describes the woman as âhomelessâ after the couple left her in Malaysia, while ABC attributes her vulnerability to âunlawful immigration statusâ
- ABC mentions the woman was allegedly locked in the garage as a punishment, which is not explicitly stated in NEWSCOMAU
- NEWSCOMAU includes the phrase âwelfare nemilliedsâ (likely a typo) in describing restrictions, while ABC does not mention this term
- ABC states Chong allegedly hit the woman with a vacuum cleaner, which is not mentioned in NEWSCOMAU
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