The Court of First Instance found the 34-year-old Emirati guilty of aggravated assault and ordered that the tool be seized.

A housewife, who assaulted her maid with an iron bar and caused her injuries, has been sentenced to two years in prison.

The Court of First Instance found the 34-year-old Emirati guilty of aggravated assault and ordered that the tool be seized.

The housewife is believed to have assaulted the maid on various occasions in six months leaving her with permanent injuries.

The case dates back to July 24, last year. The maid, a 32-year-old from India, said she did not receive any salary from her employer since she was hired about eight months prior to the complaint.

She claimed that the housewife would beat her with an iron bar. "Once I hit my head when she pushed me in the bathroom. I got multiple bruises because of the beating." The housemaid added that she had to be admitted into hospital for two months and a half after she passed out. "My hands still hurt and I can't raise my right hand. She kept saying that I was not working well." The maid said her employer locked her up in the balcony for two days and she could not eat anything and that her hands were swollen. She added that she could not contact the recruitment office because she did not have a phone.

A police lieutenant said they found that the victim living in the balcony and sleeping there with no cover. The housewife admitted that she assaulted the maid.

The defendant also admitted that she used an iron bar to beat the maid to push her to work.

The accused alleged that on the day of the incident, the maid went out to the balcony and stayed there refusing to eat until she fainted and they called the ambulance.

mary@khaleejtimes.com