Abu Dhabi woman who beat maid to death has jail term reduced

A woman who beat her maid to death, with the help of a neighbour, has her sentence cut from 16 years in jail to seven.

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ABU DHABI // An Emirati woman and her neighbour who beat a maid to death had their sentences reduced to seven years in prison each by the Appeals Court today.

The woman, NS, had been sentenced to 16 years in jail by the Criminal Court, while the neighbour EH, a former policeman, was sentenced to 13. The extra three years for the woman were for a sexual harassment charge - as she had forced the maid to strip before the beating.

They both appealed the Criminal Court verdict on the grounds that it was not clear which of them had dealt the fatal blow.

Witnesses testified that the woman regularly tortured the maid by beating her and forcing her to eat large amounts of chilli.