Melbourne man sentenced to minimum four years for slavery and assault

In a Melbourne County Court hearing, 47-year-old Malaysian national Chee Kit Chong was convicted of intentionally keeping an Indonesian woman in her 60s as a slave and of assault. Prosecutors detailed how Chong starved, beat and restricted the victim in his Point Cook residence from February to October 2022, even smashing her head against a wall and hitting her with a vacuum cleaner shaft, though the latter charge was later dropped.

Judge Michael Cahill sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment, with a minimum of four years before parole, which he may seek in 2030, and indicated he will likely be deported to Malaysia after serving his term. Chong’s wife, Angie Liaw, faced but was cleared of assisting in the slavery. The victim, who had arrived in Australia as a homeless street vendor, survived the abuse but later died of natural causes in 2024. The ruling highlights the enforcement of Australia’s federal slavery legislation.