Melbourne slave couple who kept Tamil woman locked up for eight years launch appeal from jail

A woman kept as a slave in a suburban Melbourne home has been accused of telling demonstrable lies by a defence lawyer as the couple convicted over her enslavement launch an appeal.

In 2021, Kumuthini Kannan and her husband Kandasamy Kannan were convicted of enslaving a vulnerable Tamil woman in their Mount Waverley home between 2007 and 2015.

Ms Kannan is serving at least four years of an eight-year sentence while Mr Kannan is serving at least three of a six-year sentence.

The woman, now aged in her 60s, said she had to work up to 23 hours a day doing housework, taking care of the couple’s children and was restricted from going outside the house or mixing with other members of Melbourne’s Tamil community.

On Tuesday, Ms Kannan’s lawyer Dermott Dann told the Court of Appeal the woman had given contradictory evidence and told a ‘significant and demonstrable set of lies’ about her treatment.

He said she did indeed go outside the house after being pictured at Crown Casino, Arthurs Seat, Ballarat and other areas, did not work extreme hours and mixed with other members of the Tamil community.

Kumuthini Kannan (pictured) was tried alongside her husband 

There were claims the woman was paid less than $3.40 a day but Mr Dann said she was ‘completely all over the place’ when asked about that.

She first lived with the Kannans for six months each in 2002 and 2004 before returning on a 30-day tourist visa in 2007.

She was rushed to hospital in July 2015 after she collapsed, suffering untreated diabetes and sepsis.

The couple had a joint trial, however, Mr Kannan’s lawyer Colin Mandy suggested his client should have been tried separately because the scope of the trial changed and inadmissible evidence was heard by a jury.

He was concerned claims against Ms Kannan were automatically conflated with her husband.

However, prosecutor Patrick Doyle SC said both were part of an ongoing deception from the moment she arrived in Australia and kept it going until the woman was hospitalised.

He said the couple went to ‘great lengths’ to hide the woman’s true identity to avoid detection.

A decision on the appeal against their convictions and sentences will be made at a later date.