Housewife ordered to enter defence



KUALA LUMPUR: Housewife Yim Pek Ha, who has been charged with four counts of causing grievous hurt to her former Indonesian maid, has been ordered by a Sessions Court here to enter her defence on all counts.

In making the order, Judge Akhtar Tahir said the first evidence that attracted his attention were the pictures of the injuries suffered by maid Nirmala Bonat, which were taken after May 17, 2004.

Judge Akhtar set three days from Jan 28 for Yim to enter her defence.

“I see that that although the pictures were taken four or five months after the incident, (one) could still detect the significant injuries on the victim. I do not need to be an expert to notice this,” he said.

Yim, 40, was charged with causing grievous hurt to Nirmala at her home at 33B-25-6, Villa Putera condominium in Jalan Tun Ismail here between January and May 2004.

Judge Akhtar also said he found that the police report supported Nirmala's evidence.

He said Nirmala had given a consistent and unchallenged evidence that Yim had injured her.

“For example, she had explained on how she had to peel off her own skin from a hot electric iron and clean it after the accused pressed the iron on her back,” he added.

He said the submission by the defence counsel that the injuries were self-inflicted was baseless.

“For example, the injuries on her back, I do not need to be an expert to say that the injuries on her back was impossible to be self-inflicted,” he said.