A Malaysian couple is currently standing trial at Victoria’s County Court in Melbourne, facing serious modern slavery charges after allegedly subjecting an Indonesian woman to months of abuse and forced unpaid labour.
Chong Chee Kit, also known as “Max”, is accused of knowingly using the woman as a slave, while his wife Angie Yeh Liaw faces charges of assisting or encouraging the offence.
The couple was charged in 2023 and claimed trial.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
From church friends to alleged captors
The couple’s relationship with the victim, a woman then in her 60s who cannot be legally identified, dates back years before the alleged abuse began.
According to Australian media, court documents indicate the Indonesian woman initially met Chong and Liaw at a church in Malaysia, where she served as a pastor.
The arrangement seemed straightforward enough at first.
The woman moved back in with the couple in January 2022, to help Liaw with their newborn baby though she was only meant to stay temporarily.
By that point, however, prosecutors say she was already in a deeply vulnerable position. She was homeless, on a tourist visa with no independent income, and isolated from her family in Malaysia.
A credit card debt that never ended
Things allegedly took a dark turn when Chong pinned the loss of a company credit card on the woman.
He reportedly told her repeatedly that she had to work to repay supposed debts, effectively trapping her under his roof, ABC News reports.
Prosecutors told the court that Chong treated the woman as though he owned her outright.
On one occasion, he allegedly told her she could leave, but only if she paid him a million dollars.
He reportedly described her to others as his “maid or helper.”
Locked up, beaten, and starved
The alleged abuse was systematic and severe.
The woman performed unpaid domestic work, including massaging the man’s feet, caring for the children, and cleaning while being forced to sleep on the stairs or in a garage.
She was locked in the garage during the day because Chong allegedly did not want her going out to look for food, and was barred from leaving the home without him, including when she needed medical attention following his alleged assaults.
He also confiscated her identification documents, further cutting off any avenue of escape.
As for Liaw, prosecutors accused her of benefiting from the woman’s domestic services and asking Chong to assign the victim instructions or tasks, playing an active role in controlling her.
Couple denies everything
Both Chong and Liaw have pleaded not guilty.
Chong told police he took the woman in out of compassion after finding her homeless, and offered various explanations for her injuries, including diabetes, accidental falls, and assaults by other homeless people.
He denied ordering her to carry out household tasks, claiming they were entirely her own initiative.
Liaw told police she and Chong encountered the woman on the streets of Melbourne and denied ever restricting her access to food.
Defence lawyer Diana Price cautioned the jury, arguing that the complainant may have had reasons to exaggerate or say things that were untrue.
The trial before Judge Michael Cahill is ongoing.
