SINGAPORE - A woman was jailed for 12 weeks on Tuesday after being convicted of five maid abuse charges - including biting the helper's finger.

Ngoa Choi Yin, 48, a Singapore permanent resident, was originally tried on eight charges of causing hurt to her Indonesian maid Siti Nurbayah, 25, at her Beauty World Plaza apartment in Upper Bukit Timah Road.

But she was cleared of three charges at the close of the prosecution case, and convicted of the other five in July this year.

District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam convicted her of slapping the maid on her cheek and ear region; biting her; slapping her face; using her hands to pound her back region; grabbing her hand and biting her finger and using her elbow to knock her upper arm.

The offences took place between May and October 2012.

The maid had testified that she was beaten every day by Ngoa who would slap, hit and bite her.

She ran away on Oct 27 that year by using a screwdriver to open the gate of the unit. She was directed by a passer-by to a maid agency located on the lower floors of the same building.

The employment agency operator saw her crying outside her office and bruises on her body. She called the police.

Her lawyer Alina Sim said Ngoa was suffering from depressive disorder, and has to take care of her three-year-old child, who is severely autistic.

Ngoa could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined up to $7,500 on each charge.