Harsher penalty for maid in acid pouring case

Sharjah - Earlier the family had rejected t compensation offered by the Indonesian consulate.

 The jail term for the housemaid who poured acid on a three-year-old child has been increased to 15 years to be followed by deportation and a fine of Dh270,000 according to the Sharjah Court of Appeals.
While the Sharjah Court of First Instance sentenced her to three years in jail and fined her Dh270,000, the family of the child appealed and said the maid had intentionally poured acid on him.
On hearing the judgment, the mother broke into tears. "Today I am happy as my child got justice. He has to go out wearing a mask and after all the pain he suffered, this is the right punishment."
Mohammed Al Ousais, the lawyer, provided evidence that the maid poured the acid, used for clearing pipes, on the face and body of the child on purpose. "If it was by mistake, the maid's hands also should have suffered burns," he said. The Indonesian maid who is in her 40s, has denied the charges, saying the child poured the acid on himself.
The boy, Omar, received burns on his face, hands, legs and stomach. The incident was reported in March last year in Al Ramaqiyah area. The boy's mother told Khaleej Times that he is still in a very serious condition. He has been undergoing treatment in Germany for the past six months, she said.
Recalling the incident, the mother said she had asked the maid to wash Omar's hand as he had been playing with paint. After the maid took Omar to the bathroom, the mother heard her son's screams and rushed to the bathroom. It was then that she found that he had suffered burns.
Earlier the family had rejected t compensation offered by the Indonesian consulate.
amira@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah