Malaysia jails woman who threw scalding hot water on Down’s syndrome man
- Oo Saw Kee, 39, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined for intentionally inflicting serious injury on the 33-year-old victim, A. Solairaj
- The judge called her actions against a disabled person – which he said were completely unprovoked – ‘cruel and inhumane’
Sessions court judge Ahzal Fariz Ahmad Khairuddin sentenced Oo Saw Kee, 39, on Tuesday and fined her 6,000 ringgit (US$1,255), after she pleaded guilty to committing the offence.
In handing down his judgment, Ahzal said what Oo had done was serious, cruel and inhumane, especially against a disabled person.
He said there was no provocation on the part of the victim during the incident.
“In this case, the court needs to take into consideration the public interest rather than personal interest of the accused,” he said at the Balik Pulau court on Tuesday.
Oo, a sales promoter, earlier pleaded guilty to intentionally inflicting serious injury by throwing hot water at on 33-year-old A. Solairaj inside a lift at a flat block in Bayan Lepas, Penang state, at 9.24am on April 19, causing serious burns.
She was charged under Section 326 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 20 years, as well as a fine or whipping upon conviction.
Police arrested Oo on Friday night, according to reports, with acting police chief Deputy Superintendent Jafri Md Zain telling reporters that the 39-year-old suspect had been detained at 9.21pm.
“The woman resides in the apartment area and she was remanded today [April 20] to facilitate investigations into the incident,” he said.
The attack happened as A. Solairaj was returning home to his flat on the 16th floor.
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The victim was taken to Penang Hospital and medical officers later confirmed that the he had suffered burns to his front and the back of his right side from the scalding hot water.
He was reported to be in stable condition.
A 20-second video of the incident went viral on social media, with social media users condemning the woman’s actions.
Oo was represented in the case by lawyer Edric Loo, who was working pro bono, with Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Noordin Ismail acting for the prosecution.
