Melbourne Couple's Slavery Sentence: New Blow for Abused Tamil Woman's Captors

Melbourne Couple Who Enslaved Tamil Woman Face Further Financial Penalties

Melbourne, Australia – An Indian-origin couple, already serving jail time for enslaving an elderly Tamil woman for eight years, have been hit with additional financial penalties, the Australian Federal Police announced on Friday. Kandasamy Kannan, 61, and his wife, Kumuthini, 58, were initially convicted in 2021 for the horrific abuse and exploitation of the woman, who was brought to Australia from India.

Melbourne Couple's Slavery Sentence: New Blow for ...

The new penalties require Kumuthini Kannan to pay $100,000, while Kandasamy Kannan is ordered to pay $40,000. This is in addition to the forfeited equity and interest from the 2016 sale of a property, which amounted to $475,000. The funds will go to the state, although it remains unclear if any portion will be directed to the victim as compensation.

The case, which shocked Australia and

The case, which shocked Australia and drew international condemnation, involved the systematic subjugation of the woman, who arrived in Australia on a tourist visa. She was reported missing by her family in India in 2007, after she began working for the Kannans as a domestic servant. Over the next eight years, she was held captive and forced to work tirelessly, cooking, cleaning, and caring for the couple's children.

The victim's ordeal finally came to light in 2015 when she collapsed and was found severely malnourished and hypothermic in a pool of urine. At the time, she weighed a mere 40 kilograms. During the initial trial, harrowing details emerged of the abuse she endured, including being beaten with a frozen chicken and burned with boiling water. The court heard that she was paid a pittance of just $3.36 per day for her relentless labor.

Evidence presented also included a desperate plea from the victim's son-in-law, who mailed the Kannans begging for her release. Kumuthini Kannan's response was a vulgar and dismissive message.

The couple's initial sentencing saw Kumuthini receive an eight-year prison term with parole eligibility after four years, while Kandasamy was sentenced to six years with parole eligibility after three. The fresh financial penalties serve as a further condemnation of their appalling actions and a stark reminder of the severity of their crimes. While the money cannot undo the years of suffering inflicted on the victim, it underscores the Australian legal system's commitment to holding perpetrators of modern slavery accountable.