DUBAI - The Dubai Criminal Court of Appeal on Wednesday upheld the five-year prison term of 28-year-old Ethiopian housemaid for killing her new-born. She will be deported after completion of her term.
Saeeda Ali, who worked for an Emirati employer, was found guilty of battering her new-born baby to death on February 11 this year. The autopsy of the child revealed fractures in the skull and chest.In his testimony, the Emirati sponsor had said that he hired the maid about five months before the incident.
“Initially, I noticed that she was walking in an abnormal manner. On February 11, I arrived home from work around 1.30pm and I was told that the housemaid had given birth to a baby. She, however, killed the child and put the body in a black bag, which she placed behind the house.”The police later recovered the body.
An Indian housemaid working in the same household, in her statement, said, “Around 1.30am on the night of the incident I heard the maid groaning. I wanted to tell the house owner, but she requested me not to do so. Thereafter, I went to sleep outside with another Filipina housemaid. In the morning, I told my employer’s wife. We then went to the maid’s room and saw blood all over. Later, the police recovered the body of the new-born from the garbage.”
mary@khaleejtimes.com