A Point Cook couple have faced court accused of keeping a slave in a western suburban home after medical staff contacted police with concerns that a woman may have been trafficked. people.
Angie Yeh Ling Liaw, 29, and Chee Kit Chong, 44, also known as Max Chong, faced Melbourne Magistrate Court on Thursday on charges of three slavery-related offences.
Angie Yeh Ling Liaw and Chee Kit Chong, known as Max Chong, have been charged with modern slavery offences.
They include allegations that the married couple owned a slave girl and used coercion and threats to control the woman at their home in west Melbourne.
Liaw’s attorney, Payne Wu, asked Magistrate Andrew McKenna to adjourn the matter to a hearing next month as his law firm was working to determine if it could represent both husband and wife, or if conflicts could arise. of interest.
The court heard that while Chong was charged in November, his wife was not charged until April after the police case was reviewed.
McKenna also questioned whether the alleged victim now faced deportation or was granted a proper visa to allow her to remain in Australia.
Police arrest two people on allegations they kept a slave at their Point Cook home.
Police said the couple were charged with modern slavery offenses after allegedly holding a female victim in domestic servitude at their Point Cook home between January and October 2022.
An Australian Federal Police spokesman said officers began investigating the case late last year after receiving a tip from health care staff, who raised concerns about a woman they believed may have been trafficked.
