A grandmother was fined HK$5,000 in Tuen Mun Court yesterday after being convicted of using chopsticks to jab her maid for allegedly taking poor care of her granddaughter.
Hung Sau-lin, 59, attacked Sitti Komariyah, 23, 'out of impulse and miscommunication' jabbing her about 10 times on her shoulders after she found the maid had not fed her granddaughter because she was busy collecting laundry on October 5 last year at their Tin Shui Wai home.
Magistrate Peter Hui Shiu-keung said Hung's 'barbarian' behaviour should warrant a jail term because even though Ms Komariyah had suffered no permanent injuries, it was a serious offence that was intolerable in a civilised society. But because of her age and poor health, he ruled that a fine would be more appropriate.
After hearing mitigation that Hung and the maid had a language problem and did not understand each other, the magistrate believed that Hung, a housewife who had devoted her life to family care, had acted out of impulse.
But he also told Hung that she should not have maltreated Ms Komariyah because of her nationality, background or her role as a domestic helper.
Mr Hui also ordered Hung - who had denied a charge of wounding - to pay Ms Komariyah HK$10,000.