Maid sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering 70-year-old woman by stabbing her 26 times
The judge said the only sentence available was life imprisonment as she was under 18 at the time of the offence.

A general view of the Supreme Court in Singapore on Sep 23, 2022. (File photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
SINGAPORE: A maid was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday (Jul 4) for murdering her employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law, leaving behind 26 stab wounds.
Although Zin Mar Nwe's passport reflected her age as 23 when she arrived in Singapore in January 2018, a bone-age test later conducted by a hospital indicated that she was only 17 at the time.
Investigations revealed that she had been instructed by her agent to declare her age as 23.
Because of her age at the time, the only sentence available to the court was that of life imprisonment, the judge said.
Under the Criminal Procedure Code, offenders who were under 18 at the time of the offence cannot be sentenced to death.
Zin Mar Nwe, who is from Myanmar, had stabbed the victim in June 2018 after the elderly woman threatened to send her back to her agent.
The victim was watching television when the maid knifed her 26 times until she stopped moving. The maid then retrieved her belongings, washed the knife and changed before fleeing.
She was arrested at her maid agency.
Justice Andre Maniam had rejected her partial defence of diminished responsibility. The maid's lawyers had argued that Zin Mar Nwe was in a dissociative state.
Justice Maniam said the offender had reacted in anger at the deceased and was aware of what she was doing, describing the stabbing in detail to the police.
The judge had accepted that the victim had hit Zin Mar Nwe to get her attention or to reprimand her and that the victim had also retaliated when the maid accidentally hurt the victim on certain occasions.
The prosecution did not object to a sentence of life imprisonment. Defence lawyer Christopher Bridges, who represented Zin Mar Nwe under the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences, said his client should not be punished with death.
He pointed to Zin Mar Nwe's diary entries, where she wrote that she missed her parents and boyfriend and that her memories made her sad.
She wrote that her chest was "tight" and that she had never been away from home like this.
Before passing his sentence, Justice Maniam asked Mr Bridges about a letter his client had sent to the court.
In the letter, Zin Mar Nwe had asked for another chance. Mr Bridges said he had explained to his client and told her to take it up with any instructing counsel on appeal.
The penalty for murder under Section 300(c) is death or life imprisonment. Zin Mar Nwe cannot be caned as she is a woman.