A housewife, appealing against her 7-year-jail term for starving her maid to death and locking her up inside her villa, had it reduced to three years.

The Court of First Instance convicted the 62-year-old Emirati housewife in December last year of the charges of deprivation of freedom and false imprisonment that resulted in the Indonesian maid's death.

A forensic expert said the main cause of death was starvation.

The housewife filed an appeal against the primary ruling and has been sentenced by the Court of Appeals to serve three years in jail instead. The reasons behind the new ruling were not immediately known.

A police lieutenant, who reported to the crime scene on September 16, 2015, said that the victim's body bore bruise and injury marks. "The housewife, who looked scared and agitated, kept saying she did not do anything and claimed the maid fell down."

The forensic experts spotted blood stains on the stairs leading to the upper floor in the defendant's villa in Bur Dubai.

The lieutenant added that the refrigerator was locked and so were the closets. Some old and rotten food was found in the refrigerator.

Emirati housewife gets 7 years in jail for starving maid to death

It was revealed later that the housewife had a file at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and was known to be physically abusive against her domestic helpers. There was a recommendation from the directorate to stop her from further hiring of maids.

The police officers found food kept in the defendant's bedroom. Some of it was expired. When asked about the reason her villa windows and gate were all surrounded with metallic wires, the accused claimed it was to keep the neighbours' cat away.

Through investigation, the officers learned some of the maids would climb the gate to get food from outside.

A lieutenant, who examined the victim's body, said the main cause of death was starvation. "She looked very skinny and in a bad health condition".

A crime scene investigation officer said that he saw blood stains and also detected other such evidence that had been washed in the maid's room.
The appellate court ruling may be challenged by the defendant and the public prosecution at the Court of Cassation

Source: Khaleej Times.