Kuwait’s criminal court has sentenced a Filipino domestic worker to death for the murder of an 18-month-old Kuwaiti boy, whom she placed inside a washing machine at her employer’s home in Sabah Al Salem last December.
According to a local media, the worker confessed and told investigators the child had been “annoying” her.
The boy’s parents rushed to the scene after hearing his screams and found him critically injured. He was taken to Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Before the verdict, the defendant underwent a psychological assessment, which confirmed she was mentally fit to stand trial.
The case has drawn wide attention in Kuwait and the Philippines. The Philippines Department of Migrant Workers offered condolences to the victim’s family and stressed that the crime was an isolated incident that does not reflect the values of overseas Filipino workers. More than 220,000 Filipinos live and work in Kuwait, many as domestic helpers.
Under Kuwaiti law, the ruling will undergo automatic review by the appeals court and then by the Court of Cassation, the highest tribunal, whose decisions are final.
