Couple Faces Court Over Alleged Enslavement of Vulnerable Woman
Prosecutors have opened a disturbing case in Victoria's County Court, alleging that a vulnerable woman was kept as a slave by a couple with children, subjected to control, beatings, and deprivation of food and access to the outside world. The 61-year-old victim, who cannot be legally identified, died in 2024, but her evidence to police, friends, and family will be presented to a jury of 14.
Allegations of Unpaid Domestic Servitude and Abuse
According to prosecutors, the woman performed unpaid domestic work for the couple, including massaging the husband's feet, looking after their children, and cleaning, while being forced to sleep on the stairs or in a garage. Chee Kit 'Max' Chong and his wife Angie Liaw sat in the back of the court as the case was outlined on Tuesday. Chong is charged with intentionally possessing a slave between January and October 2022, along with three counts of assault, while Liaw is charged with assisting Chong to keep the woman as a slave. Both have pleaded not guilty and deny all allegations.
Background and Relationship Dynamics
Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC told the jury that Chong met the woman at church in Malaysia in 2015, with their relationship initially described as like mother and son, and she was akin to a mother-in-law for Liaw. The three visited Australia together in 2016 and returned to make a life there the following year. Ginsbourg alleged that Chong tried to extract money from the woman on multiple occasions, including $30,000 just before her arrival back in Australia, which she reportedly borrowed from a church acquaintance.
The victim was on a tourist visa in 2017 and lived with the couple initially. However, they left for Malaysia without informing her in October, leaving her homeless. She then sold the Big Issue, stayed at Salvation Army accommodation, and worked at an op shop during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she also slept for a period. The woman allegedly moved back in with the couple in January 2022 to help Liaw with their newborn baby, which prosecutors claim marked the beginning of the modern slavery.
Exploitation and Control Tactics
By this point, the woman had multiple vulnerabilities: she was homeless, on a tourist visa with no independent income, and isolated from her family in Malaysia. Ginsbourg stated that Chong described her to others as his 'maid or helper' and threatened and coerced her to provide domestic services, repeatedly telling her she had to work to repay supposed debts. When she failed at her duties or did not meet Chong's satisfaction, he allegedly hit or kicked her, or punished her by denying sleep or food.
'On one occasion, he told her if she paid $1 million she could leave, but otherwise she had to stay,' Ginsbourg told the court. The woman was forced to sleep on the stairs or inside a garage at their Point Cook home in Melbourne's southwest, rather than in a bedroom. She was allegedly locked in the garage during the day because Chong 'did not want her to go out and look for food' and was not allowed to leave the home without him, even for medical help after alleged assaults.
Specific Incidents of Violence and Restriction
Chong is accused of kicking the woman in the head and hitting her with a vacuum cleaner after she fell asleep while massaging his legs. Additionally, he confiscated her identification documents, further controlling and restricting her freedom. Ginsbourg accused Liaw of benefiting from the woman's domestic services and asking Chong to give her instructions or tasks, thereby assisting in her control.
The trial before Judge Michael Cahill continues, with the defence set to give their responses later on Tuesday. This case highlights severe allegations of human rights abuses and modern slavery in a domestic setting, drawing attention to the vulnerabilities faced by individuals in precarious situations.
