Maid who stabbed boss' mum-in-law has murder charge reduced to culpable homicide on appeal

A domestic worker who was given life imprisonment in 2023 for murdering her employer's mother-in-law had the charge reduced to culpable homicide on May 14 after her lawyers argued at her appeal that she had been provoked.

- Selina Lum

Zin Mar Nwe, 24, had stabbed the victim 26 times on June 25, 2018, after the 70-year-old woman threatened to send her back to the agent.

Lawyer Josephus Tan said the triggering statement amounted to grave and sudden provocation, which caused the Myanmar national, who was then 17 years old, to lose self-control.

Mr Tan argued that to her mind, the statement represented a real possibility that she would be sent back to her home country because it was the third time within five months she had changed employers.

He said the threat was made against a backdrop of "a period in which the deceased had scolded, hit and hurt the accused".

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kumaresan Gohulabalan argued that there was no evidence to support a finding the maid had been physically abused, aside from her self-reported claims.