After taking woman in, family chained her and abused her to near death
Haslinda Ismail, 34, pleaded guilty to a string of offences, including knocking the victim's front teeth out with a hammer and using pliers to twist and fracture a toe. The New Paper
She thought of them as family when they took her in after she ran away from home in 2016. But the women she called sister and auntie turned out to be her worst nightmare as they subjected her to horrific physical and psychological abuse in a reign of terror that lasted more than a year.
The victim, who has mild intellectual disability, was treated like a slave, the court heard yesterday. By the end of her stay at the flat, she was chained half-naked in the toilet sitting in her own excrement, and forced to eat off the floor.
She was close to death after numerous beatings, which led to permanent deformities and visual disability. In January 2018, she needed eight hours of resuscitation after she was rushed to hospital. It was then that the offences came to light.
Woman in near-death state after being forced to eat soiled food with urine, had toes twisted by pliers
Photo of Muhammad Iski (left) and Ismail Muhammad Iskandar Ismail
Two brothers were jailed on Thursday (Jan 7) for offences related to their family's physical abuse of a female friend with mild intellectual disability which left her in a near-death state.
Muhammad Iskandar Ismail, 32, was jailed for two months and four weeks after pleading guilty to one count of causing hurt to the victim by slapping, punching and tripping her. He also admitted to one count of giving a false statement to the police. Muhammad Iski Ismail, 30, was jailed for eight months after admitting to one count each of providing a false statement to the police and perverting the course of justice.
Their two sisters also appeared in court on Thursday.
Woman nearly died from abuse by family who took her in
The abuse started in the middle of 2016 when Haslinda accused the victim of performing a sex act on her husband. She slapped the victim in front of her family and also made her husband slap her. Later, she confiscated the victim's phone, cutting her off from the outside world.
The victim had to stop working at a fast-food restaurant and was made to do chores for the family without pay. She was chained every night, first to a baby swing bed in the living room and later to a metal plate mounted on a wall outside Hasniza's room. The family also threatened to smear her reputation if she tried to escape.
Haslinda's abuse against the victim got worse until November 2017 when she moved to her new flat and vowed not to return after quarrelling with her sister who had tried to stop one of her assaults on the victim. But the rest of the family continued abusing the woman until she was badly injured and became incontinent.
Two brothers jailed over abuse of family friend
The victim, now 30, was the secondary school friend of another family member, Mr Muhammad Isafi Ismail, and worked in a fast-food restaurant. She got to know his family and grew close to them over time.
After running away from home in early 2016, she moved into their flat at Block 714 Woodlands Drive 70, where she stayed rent-free. The nightmare began some time between May and June 2016, just a few months after the victim moved in with the family.
For about one and a half years till January 2018, she suffered various abuses, including:
- Made to eat food soiled with urine from one of her abusers;
- Had her toes twisted by pliers, causing one of them to be fractured;
- Scalded with hot water, causing burns on various parts of her body;
- Had her hands, legs or neck chained to a baby swing bed, and later to a metal plate on a wall;
- Chained to a toilet bowl from late December 2017;
- Splashed with hot oil, causing injuries to her lips and burns to her body;
- Had her two upper front teeth struck twice with a hammer, causing her to lose both of them;
- Struck with a baseball bat, broomstick, hanger and towel;
- Made to stand throughout the night without sleeping or using the toilet;
- Punched on her abdomen and arm;
- Kicked on her waist and back while lying on the ground;
- Bound by cable ties;
- Slapped on the face;
- Tripped onto the ground.
