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Melbourne couple charged with slavery and abuse of Indonesian woman

Just now2 articles from 2 sources

Consensus Summary

A Melbourne couple, Chee Kit Chong and Angie Yeh Ling Liaw, are on trial for allegedly enslaving an Indonesian woman in their Point Cook home between early 2022 and October 2022. The woman, who had a prior relationship with Chong after meeting in Malaysia in 2015, was initially offered a month-long stay but was forced into servitude after Chong accused her of losing a company credit card. Prosecutors allege Chong controlled her access to food, sleep, and movement, punishing her with beatings and deprivation when she failed to meet his demands for domestic labor. The woman’s injuries—including a swollen ear, lacerations, and malnutrition—were documented at St Vincent’s Hospital after she fled, leading to police intervention. Both defendants deny the charges, with Chong claiming the woman was homeless and they took pity on her, while Liaw denies restricting her food or assaulting her. The trial highlights the woman’s vulnerability due to her unlawful immigration status and the couple’s alleged psychological and physical abuse, though contradictions exist in details like the specific locations she was forced to sleep and the exact phrasing of demands made by Chong.

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Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • Chee Kit Chong and Angie Yeh Ling Liaw, Malaysian nationals, are facing slavery charges in Victoria’s County Court for allegedly enslaving an Indonesian woman in their Point Cook home between January and October 2022
  • The alleged victim, a 61-year-old Indonesian woman, was initially offered a month-long stay in early 2022 but was forced to work off a debt after Chong accused her of losing a company credit card
  • Chong allegedly controlled the woman’s access to food, sleep, and movement, punishing her with beatings, deprivation of food, and forced sleep on stairs or in the garage
  • The woman was ordered to perform domestic tasks including cleaning, cooking, and massaging Chong’s legs, with punishments for failure such as being hit with a vacuum cleaner or denied sleep/food
  • The alleged victim sought help at St Vincent’s Hospital in October 2022, where medical staff documented injuries including a swollen ear, lacerations, and malnutrition indicators
  • Chong and Liaw both pleaded not guilty, with Chong claiming the woman was homeless and they took pity on her, while Liaw denied restricting food access or assaulting her
  • The Indonesian woman died in 2024, but prosecutors state her death is unrelated to the case
  • The couple first met the woman in Malaysia in 2015 when she was a pastor at Chong’s church, and she later moved to Australia with them in 2017 on a tourist visa
  • The trial began in 2024, with Chong charged with possessing a slave and three counts of common assault, while Liaw faces assisting/encouraging the slavery offence

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

ABC News
  • Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg S.C. stated Chong told the victim she could leave if she paid a million dollars, framing it as a literal demand for ransom
  • The woman’s injuries were noted by local medical clinics and a hospital in the final months of her ordeal, with records explicitly referenced in court
  • Chong’s defence lawyer Diana Price explicitly mentioned the woman’s ‘unlawful immigration status’ as a factor in her vulnerability to exploitation
  • ABC included a quote from Chong’s defence lawyer stating ‘there may be reasons [the complainant] may exaggerate or embellish or say things that are untruthful’
  • The article specifies the woman was a pastor in Malaysia and Chong established a ‘mother-son’ like relationship with her before her exploitation began
NEWSCOMAAU
  • Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg S.C. described the woman’s financial support for Chong as ‘almost all her money’ to help him with ‘money problems’
  • The article notes the woman ‘ran away’ in October 2022, rather than explicitly stating she sought help at a hospital
  • Ms Liaw’s defence barrister Daniel Gurvich KC explicitly stated ‘there was very little evidence that related to his client’ during the trial
  • NEWSCOMAU included the woman’s alleged direct quote: ‘He’s a master, I’m a maid. I’m a helper only’
  • The article specifies the couple married in September 2017 and returned to Malaysia for an unspecified period without telling the woman, leaving her homeless for four years

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • ABC states the woman was forced to sleep on the stairs or garage, while NEWSCOMAU only mentions the garage
  • ABC explicitly states Chong told the woman she could leave if she paid a million dollars, but NEWSCOMAU does not include this specific demand
  • ABC references ‘unlawful immigration status’ as a key factor in the woman’s vulnerability, while NEWSCOMAU does not emphasize this detail
  • NEWSCOMAU describes the woman as ‘61-years-old’ in the opening, but ABC does not specify her age
  • ABC includes a direct quote from Chong’s defence lawyer about potential exaggeration by the victim, while NEWSCOMAU does not reference this exact phrasing

Source Articles

NEWSCOMAU

Family kept woman as slave: court

A woman was allegedly beaten and had restrictions placed on her sleep and food consumption as she worked as a slave in a Melbourne home, a jury has been told....

5 hours ago
ABC

Melbourne couple allegedly beat and starved woman enslaved in their home

A court has heard an Indonesian woman was allegedly threatened and coerced to provide domestic services while living with a Melbourne couple....

7 hours ago