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Published on Apr 22, 2015
[h=2]Reduced charge for maid initially accused of murder[/h]
ELENA CHONG
THE Indonesian maid accused of murdering her employer, the socialite and philanthropist Nancy Gan Wan Geok, is no longer facing the capital charge.
An amended charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was preferred against Dewi Sukowati yesterday.
Dewi, 23, was originally charged with murdering Ms Gan, 69, at her bungalow in Victoria Park Road between 7.30am and 8.46am on March 19 last year.
The amended charge states that she hit Ms Gan's head against a wall and the floor kerb, then pushed her into a swimming pool, with the intention of causing bodily injuries likely to cause her death.
Ms Gan suffered head injuries and was found in her pyjamas.
=> After pushing Ms Gan into the pool, did the maid try to haul her up from the pool? If not, why is this not considered murder?
Dewi's lawyer, Mohamed Muzammil Mohamed, said he would be making representations and meeting his client's family in their village in Indonesia.
Dewi received her work permit on March 12 last year and had been working for Ms Gan for barely a week before the incident.
Ms Gan, a mother of two, was formerly married to former Hong Kong Legislative Council politician Hilton Cheong-Leen.
She was a classically trained pianist and a porcelain painter who regularly donated her works to raise funds for charity.
They included depictions of orchids, landscapes, fish, birds, flowers and animals on fine porcelain and bone china.
Over the years, Ms Gan has appeared in upmarket magazines such as The Peak Singapore, and counted ambassadors and their wives among her friends.
According to a website bearing her name, Nancygan.com, Ms Gan was involved in fund-raising efforts for the Bone Marrow Donor Programme, the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped and Singapore Cancer Society.
Dewi will be back in court on June 23.
If convicted, she could be jailed for life, or face a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine.
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