Police officer’s jail term upped to 11½ years over fatal abuse of Myanmar helper Piang Ngaih Don

He was eventually convicted of one count of abetting Gaiyathiri to cause grievous hurt to the victim by starving the helper, and one count of causing hurt to the victim by grabbing her hair and lifting her off the ground.

Chelvam was also convicted of one count of causing evidence to disappear by dismantling the CCTV recorder in the flat, and one count of lying to an investigating officer.

On July 31, the prosecution appealed against the one-year jail term handed down to Chelvam for the charge of causing hurt.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh argued that the district judge was wrong to have pegged this as a case where less serious physical and psychological harm was caused.

The prosecutor argued that Chelvam was just as culpable as Prema, who had also assaulted the victim in the same incident.

Prema was given two years’ jail on this charge, which took into account a sentencing discount for her guilty plea.

Justice See Kee Oon agreed that the original one-year term for this charge was manifestly inadequate, and increased it to 2½ years.

Chelvam had also appealed against his conviction and sentence.

But See said he was not persuaded that there was merit in the appeal against conviction, and did not think the sentences were manifestly excessive.

The judge allowed Chelvam to start his sentence on Aug 7, after defence counsel Ramesh Tiwary said his client would like to spend some time with his daughter.

Chelvam has been suspended from the Singapore Police Force since August 2016. He and Gaiyathiri divorced in 2020.

The victim started working for the family on May 28, 2015.

Gaiyathiri started physically abusing the victim a few months after she started work. From May 2016, Prema joined in the abuse.

CCTV cameras installed in the Bishan flat recorded 35 days’ worth of footage, which showed the victim burned with a heated iron, choked, shaken violently, punched, kicked and stomped on.

The victim was beaten almost daily. She was deprived of food and rest, and made to shower and relieve herself with the toilet door open.

On the night of July 25, 2016, the helper was assaulted by Gaiyathiri and Prema for being too slow in doing laundry. Early the next morning, Gaiyathiri continued to assault the helper and choke her.

A few hours later, the helper was pronounced dead by a doctor.