A PRIMARY school teacher who abused his Indonesian maid on several occasions was on Friday sentenced to six weeks in jail. Mat Nooh Sajari, who threw a pot cover, a cup and a chair at the woman, is appealing against his conviction and sentence.

The 38-year-old father of two children, aged seven and nine, was found guilty earlier this week by District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim of hurting his maid in 2007.

Ms Sulastri, 33, began working for the family at their Woodlands flat in December 2006 and the abuse happened in the weeks that followed.

She told the court that on one occasion, Mat Nooh hurled a chair at her after finding that the food she prepared for him had gone stale. The incident left her with bleeding and swollen toes.

Another time, he got angry that she had warmed some gravy without permission, and threw a pot lid at her. That caused a small bruise over her right upper arm. On a third occasion, he got mad over curry puffs.

When he returned home with his wife, a clerk, he accused Ms Sulastri of not following instructions for making the snacks.

First he kicked her in the abdomen and slapped her. Half an hour later, he threw a cup at her, causing her to feel giddiness and pain.

Three days after that last assault on Feb 20, 2007, Ms Sulastri ran away to her agent and lodged a police report.

Mat Nooh's lawyer, Mr Edmond Pereira, had asked the court to impose a fine, saying the the maid's injuries were not serious or life-threatening.

With the conviction, he said, his client was likely to lose his job.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times