Suspended Singapore police officer jailed 10 years for role in maid’s abuse and death

SINGAPORE: A suspended police officer was sentenced to 10 years’ jail on Thursday (17 July) for his role in the prolonged abuse and eventual death of a domestic worker from Myanmar, carried out by his then-wife and former mother-in-law. Staff Sergeant Kevin Chelvam, 46, was convicted after a trial for his involvement in the 2016 death of 24-year-old Piang Ngaih Don. At the time of her death, she weighed only 24kg and died of a brain injury with severe blunt trauma to the neck. Chelvam faced four charges: voluntarily causing hurt by grabbing the maid’s hair and lifting her off the ground, abetting grievous hurt by starvation, giving false information to a police officer, and causing evidence to disappear by dismantling a CCTV recorder in his home. District Judge Teoh Ai Lin said Chelvam was aware that the victim had not been given adequate food in the 35 days leading up to her death. “He had time and opportunity to stop the abuse, but he did not,” said the judge. “He was her legal employer who was to ensure a safe working environment for her, and should and could have stopped the abuse.” The judge also condemned Chelvam’s removal of the CCTV recorder: “If the CCTV recorder had not been recovered, Don would have taken with her to the grave the whole truth of what she had endured in the final days of her tragic life.”

Prosecution: Chelvam Was “Complicit”

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh argued that Chelvam was complicit in the abuse, refuting the defence’s claim that he was merely a passive bystander with no control over his wife and mother-in-law. Teh said Chelvam knew the abuse was happening, witnessed it firsthand, and was fully aware that the victim was in a severely weakened state. As her legal employer, he had “every opportunity” to intervene but chose not to. Chelvam even “actively endorsed” the withholding of food from Piang as a form of punishment. Her severe malnourishment, Teh added, contributed to her inability to survive the fatal assault. As a police officer, Chelvam also understood the evidentiary value of the CCTV footage and deliberately attempted to obstruct investigations by removing the device. Footage from the recovered CCTV recorder proved instrumental in securing convictions against all three accused, including Gaiyathiri’s conviction for culpable homicide. In mitigation, defence lawyer Pratap Kishan said Chelvam had “lost nine years of his life” while the case was ongoing. Though not remanded during the period, his life had “come to a standstill,” the lawyer said. He also cited a character reference from the Traffic Police, which described Chelvam as a “positive worker and an asset” to the unit.

Timeline of Abuse

Piang began working for the family in late May 2015, her first job outside Myanmar, under a two-year contract with Chelvam as her registered employer. However, it was Chelvam’s wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, who oversaw the maid’s daily duties and welfare. Chelvam’s mother-in-law, Prema S Naraynasamy, frequently stayed over to assist with household chores and childcare. As part of her employment conditions, Piang was denied a mobile phone and any rest days, in exchange for higher pay and being allowed to rest at home. Chelvam signed the employment contract, agreeing to provide her with at least three adequate meals a day. Initially, Gaiyathiri verbally reprimanded the maid, but by October 2015, the mistreatment had escalated into physical abuse. By May 2016, Prema had also begun physically assaulting her. Piang was subjected to constant surveillance, deprived of sleep, allowed only about five hours per night, and provided insufficient food. She was also made to wear multiple face masks while working, as Gaiyathiri found her “unhygienic.” She was forced to bathe and relieve herself with the toilet door open, under the supervision of either Gaiyathiri or Prema. For 11 consecutive nights from 15 July 2016, Gaiyathiri tied one of Piang’s hands to a window grille at night to prevent her from leaving the room. Prema stayed over on at least seven of those nights leading up to the victim’s death.

CCTV Footage Revealed the Abuse

The family lived in a three-bedroom flat in Bishan with their two young children and two tenants. CCTV cameras had been installed throughout the unit, purportedly to monitor the children and the maid. During investigations, police recovered 35 days’ worth of CCTV footage, from 21 June to 26 July 2016, which documented the abuse Piang suffered in her final weeks. The recordings showed Chelvam at home on multiple occasions when the maid was berated and assaulted, including several instances directly in front of him. Video clips played in court showed five separate incidents where Chelvam stood by in the kitchen while Gaiyathiri assaulted Piang inside the toilet or nearby.

Attempt to Conceal Evidence

Following Piang’s death, Chelvam deliberately attempted to obstruct investigations. He disconnected the CCTV recorder and falsely told police it had been removed six months earlier at the request of a tenant who felt “uncomfortable” with it. While police were present in the home, Chelvam pretended to search for the recorder before claiming he could not locate it. The recorder was eventually recovered, and its footage was pivotal in the prosecution’s case against all three individuals. In June 2021, Gaiyathiri pleaded guilty to 28 charges, including culpable homicide, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by starvation, and wrongful restraint, and was sentenced to 30 years’ jail. In June 2023, Prema was given an additional three-year jail term, bringing her total sentence to 17 years for her role in the abuse of Piang.