Herlina Trisnawati, a 22-year-old Indonesian maid,...

Herlina Trisnawati, a 22-year-old Indonesian maid, was sentenced to death by hanging in Malaysia for murdering her female employer after an argument over burnt curry. Trisnawati, who was 19 at the time she hit Soon Lay Chuan on the head with a stone pestle, appeared puzzled when the sentence was passed and asked for permission to see her parents.
High Court judge K.N.Segara ordered that the visit should be arranged, and told Herlina: "Don't worry, you will not be hanged tomorrow."
The judge, who rejected her defence of temporary insanity, said she could appeal the sentence.
Herlina had told the court she had been hit by her employer before striking her with the pestle in the kitchen of her home near Kuala Lumpur on August 14, 2001.
The judge said neighbours had testified that while she had often complained about being overworked, she had not mentioned being hit by Soon, the manager of an export agency.