Mercy for Abu Dhabi woman who tortured maid to death

The family of an Ethiopian woman beaten to death by her employer says they will show mercy in exchange for a blood money settlement.

ABU DHABI // A woman who tortured her housekeeper to death has been granted clemency by her victim’s family in exchange for blood money and a year’s salary.

A?S beat her Ethiopian helper with the cord of a hair dryer, put pepper in her eyes and poured hot water over her for several days before she died, said the Emirati’s daughter.

The aunt of the Ethiopian woman appeared in the Abu Dhabi Court of First Instance yesterday to say the family would accept blood money and a year’s salary owed to her niece in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

She asked repeatedly how her niece had died.

“The burns and scars they found, were they made before or after the death?” she asked the judge. However, no clear answer could be given.

The woman paid her housekeeper for the first six months, but withheld her salary the year after.

“She never allowed us to speak to my niece,” the aunt said. “Every time I called she would not put her on the phone.”

Chief Justice Sayed Abdul Baseer said the court was still waiting for the results of a psychiatric test for the woman.

The Ethiopian deputy consul, who was present in court, asked the judge to ensure that she was not released after serving her sentence unless she was completely stable and aware of her actions.

He said the woman posed a threat to society.

“If she were to repeat what she did with someone else it would be a catastrophe,” he added.