An Indonesian maid who was brutally abused by her Malaysian employer has won compensation after waiting five years.

Marni Anyim, 29, was allegedly punched and assaulted with a variety of implements, including scissors, a hammer and a screwdriver.

She was awarded RM51,000 by a local court on Friday after filing a civil suit in January 2001.

"No matter how much I get in compensation, nothing can mend the pain and suffering I went through while working," Marni was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

"But I am happy. I want to go back home to my family," she said.

Her employer, Shalini Shanmugam, was found guilty in 2001 of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Marni, spent six months in jail and paid a fine of RM1,000 ringgit, the paper said.

Malaysia is one of Asia's largest importers of labour. Foreign workers, legal and illegal, make up about 2.6 million of the country's 10.5 million workforce.