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It  is likely to be months before 19-year-old Indonesian maid Nirmala Bonat can put behind her a lengthy trial into  alleged abuse at the hands of her employer.

The trial of  housewife Yim Pek Ha, 36, has experienced several delays since it began on September 27.

Yesterday  it was postponed again, to November 8, after Yim's defence lawyers argued they were busy.

The trial will be heard for three days from November 8, take a break for the Muslim holidays, and resume on November 22.

'I was hoping I could return home after giving evidence last week but I have to stay here now,' Miss Bonat  said  yesterday.

'I have to think seriously about settling down,' she said, referring to a possible marriage back in Indonesia.

Legal experts say the delays could be a defence strategy to confuse the witness' recollection of incidents and the dates they occurred.

'The delay has also diminished public and media interest in maid abuse cases and cooled the public's shock and anger over Nirmala's plight,' said a  legal expert.

The defence has also launched an attack on the maid's character, claiming she had strange habits, such as drinking her own urine, was of unsound mind and that her wounds were self-inflicted.

They have also questioned the credibility of key witnesses against the accused.

Last week the case was interrupted while Miss Bonat  was  giving evidence, after a higher court overturned a lower court's decision not to have  her injuries re-examined.

The defence had argued the findings of two teams of government doctors who saw her in May were inaccurate and misleading.

A High Court judge will now decide whether to order the re-examination.



Maid abuse trial faces a string of delays