Domestic helper faces charges for allegedly locking toddlers in dog cage

A 32-year-old Indonesian domestic helper appeared in court on Friday morning after her employer discovered she had allegedly locked her two young sons in a dog cage while they were left in her care.

A mother in Tsing Yi uncovered the alleged abuse after reviewing CCTV footage from her home, which appeared to show the helper, Cica Erna Wati, shutting the two- and three-year-old brothers inside a dog cage on at least two separate occasions in mid-February.

The footage reportedly shows the helper playing on her mobile phone while the children were confined.

The mother reported the incidents to the police, leading to the helper's arrest.

At West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts yesterday, Wati was charged with two counts of child neglect. The charges state that on February 13 and February 21 of this year, at a residence in Grand Horizon, Tsing Yi, she willfully neglected the two children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health.

The defendant was not required to enter a plea. The case has been adjourned until June 29 to allow the defense time to review prosecution documents and provide legal advice.

Wati was granted bail at HK$2,000 under the conditions that she does not leave Hong Kong and remains at her reported address.

 

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