Chee Kit Chong: Man jailed for keeping 61-year-old woman as slave in Melbourne home
An Australian man has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of enslaving a woman in his home.
A Melbourne man has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of enslaving a woman in his home.
Chee Kit “Max” Chong was convicted on charges of slavery and assault in on Friday, after he held a 61-year-old woman captive in his family home for nine months in 2022.
Chong, 47, used the woman as an unpaid labourer to clean his house, care for his children and provide him with domestic services such as massages.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The victim was often threatened by Chong during the captivity, and was told she would be assaulted or starved if she did not follow his harsh instructions.
Victorian County Judge Peter Cahill told Chong that he had taken advantage of the woman’s vulnerability as a migrant by cutting off her access to the outside world.
“Your treatment of her was callous and cruel,” Judge Cahill said.
“You exploited her vulnerabilities to use her as your property.”
Chong’s wife Angie Law originally faced charges of assisting her husband with slavery but was found not guilty in May this year.
The abuse was exposed when the victim escaped Chong and Law’s home in October 2022.
Tragically, the victim died of natural causes in 2024.
The Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans used the case as an example of modern slavery in Australia, saying it “is a confronting reminder that modern slavery is not confined to distant places or complex supply chains — it can and does occur within Australian communities, and the human cost cannot be overstated.”
In the same statement, the Commissioner pushed the importance of bringing awareness to the issue, saying frontline workers must be equipped to respond accordingly.
“We must shift the burden away from victims and ensure our frontline systems are equipped to identify and support them. That means strengthening awareness and capability among first responders, particularly in healthcare,” Comissioner Evans said.
Research conducted by St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne shows that 100 per cent of modern slavery survivors accessed healthcare during their exploitation.
Chong will face a non-parole period of four years and will most likely be deported to Malaysia after serving his sentence.
