← Back to Stories

Melbourne couple charged with slavery and abuse of Indonesian woman

2 hours ago2 articles from 2 sources

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 pastor in Malaysia who developed a close relationship with Chong, was lured to Australia in 2017 but abandoned in Malaysia for four years before being brought back under false pretenses. Once in Melbourne, she was forced into domestic servitude, subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, and food restrictions, with Chong controlling her movements and demanding repayment of a non-existent debt. The couple denies the allegations, arguing the woman’s contributions were voluntary and her injuries stemmed from other causes. Both sources agree on the core facts—such as the charges, the timeline, and the woman’s injuries—but differ slightly on procedural details like where she slept and the severity of her injuries. The case highlights systemic vulnerabilities, including the woman’s unlawful immigration status, which prosecutors argue made her particularly susceptible to exploitation.

✓ Verified by 2+ sources

Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • Chee Kit ‘Max’ Chong and Angi Yeh Ling Liaw (Malaysian nationals) are facing trial in Victoria’s 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 ‘ran away’ in October 2022
  • The woman was allegedly subjected to beatings, restrictions on food, sleep, and movement, forced to work as a domestic slave, and punished for perceived failures
  • Mr Chong is charged with intentionally possessing a slave and three counts of common assault; Ms Liaw is charged with assisting or encouraging the slavery offence
  • The woman died in 2024, unrelated to the case, and presented to St Vincent’s Hospital in October 2022 with injuries including a swollen ear, laceration to the foot, and malnutrition indicators
  • The couple first met the woman in Malaysia in 2015 when she was a pastor at the church Mr Chong attended, and she later moved to Melbourne with them in 2017
  • The couple allegedly left the woman homeless in Malaysia for four years (2017–2021) without informing her before returning to Melbourne
  • The woman was initially offered a month-long stay in 2022 to assist after the couple’s second child was born, but her stay extended under abusive conditions
  • The alleged victim described being told ‘He’s a master, I’m a maid’ and that she could only leave if she paid a million dollars

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

NEWSCOMAAU
  • Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC explicitly stated the woman ‘used almost all her money to help [Mr Chong]’ due to his financial problems, including borrowing from family and church members
  • The woman was allegedly forced to sleep on the stairs *or* in the garage (ABC only mentions stairs/garage separately)
  • The prosecutor described the woman’s injuries as including ‘grossly swollen ear, laceration to the foot, swelling to her legs’ (ABC omits ‘grossly swollen’ and ‘swelling to her legs’)
  • The defence lawyer Diana Price asked jurors to consider whether the woman’s contributions were ‘anything different to what you might expect in a family of three adults and two children’
  • The trial is expected to run for several weeks before Judge Michael Cahill
ABC News
  • The woman was allegedly hit with a vacuum cleaner after falling asleep during a leg massage
  • The prosecutor stated the woman was ordered to ‘clean the house, do the washing up, and massage Mr Chong’s legs’ (NEWSCOMAU omits ‘washing up’)
  • The defence lawyer Diana Price explicitly mentioned the woman’s ‘unlawful immigration status’ as a factor in her vulnerability (NEWSCOMAU does not mention this)
  • The ABC includes a photo caption noting the couple are Malaysian nationals (NEWSCOMAU does not specify nationality in the body text)
  • The ABC highlights that the woman’s injuries were noted by ‘local medical clinics and a hospital’ (NEWSCOMAU only mentions St Vincent’s Hospital)

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • NEWSCOMAU says the woman was forced to sleep on the stairs *or* in the garage, while ABC says she was forced to sleep on the stairs *and* in the garage
  • NEWSCOMAU reports the woman was allegedly told she could leave if she paid a million dollars, but ABC does not mention this specific demand
  • NEWSCOMAU states the woman was initially given a bedroom before being forced to sleep on stairs/garage, while ABC does not mention the initial bedroom provision
  • ABC explicitly states the woman was allegedly beaten and deprived of food, while NEWSCOMAU frames these as allegations without the explicit word ‘deprived’ for food
  • NEWSCOMAU’s prosecutor describes the woman’s injuries as ‘grossly swollen ear, laceration to the foot, swelling to her legs,’ while ABC omits ‘grossly’ and ‘swelling to her legs’

Source Articles

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....

Yesterday
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....

Yesterday