Hong Kong woman found guilty of abusing Indonesian maid

Law Wan-tung, former employer of Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, leaves the district court in Hong Kong 8 January 2015

Law (pictured) abused Ms Erwiana over the course of eight months in 2013

A Hong Kong woman has been found guilty of abusing an Indonesian maid in a high-profile case of mistreatment.

Law Wan-tung was accused of causing grievous bodily harm, criminal intimidation and failure to pay wages.

The maid, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, drew global attention last year when she returned to Indonesia and had to be hospitalised.

She testified in court in December that she was abused by Law for several months before she was sent home.

The case drew intense scrutiny in Hong Kong, where a significant number of families rely on domestic helpers. The city's residents employ about 300,000 maids from other parts of Asia.

Law was found guilty of 18 out of 20 charges laid against her. The two charges she was not found guilty of related to her treatment of another maid.
She is due to be sentenced later this month.

Ms Erwiana told AFP news agency after the verdict that she was "very happy".

During the trial the court heard that Law beat Ms Erwiana with various objects including a mop and a hanger - at one point knocking her unconscious - and deprived her of proper food.

Her defence lawyers had accused Ms Erwiana of being "opportunistic" and argued she sustained her injuries because of her clumsiness.

Law denied all the abuse charges laid against her, but admitted to a separate charge of not buying insurance for Ms Erwiana.

Indonesian former maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih (C) arrives at the court of justice in Hong Kong on 10 February 2015

Ms Erwiana had said in court that Law had tortured her

A group of protesters gather outside the courthouse in support of Indonesian former maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih in Hong Kong on 10 February 2015.

Ms Erwiana has drawn support from migrant workers and a number of them showed up at the court on Tuesday

Photographs of Ms Erwiana in an Indonesian hospital last year caused outrage in her home country, while the case also triggered protests by migrant workers in Hong Kong.

Amnesty International in 2013 published a report alleging that maids were being abused and exploited in Hong Kong, and called on the city's government to resolve the issue.

Ms Erwiana was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people last year.