A maid, who slapped, kicked and shoved a 93-year-old woman she was meant to be caring for, was jailed for two years yesterday.
Sulikah, 27, an Indonesian who goes by one name, pleaded guilty last month to 10 of 29 charges of causing hurt to Madam Ng Yian Yeo, who suffers from advanced dementia, between Jan 17 and Feb 10 this year.
Sulikah began working for Madam Ng in February 2014 and they lived together at the latter's Ang Mo Kio flat. She admitted that she began physically abusing the victim sometime early last year, often out of frustration.
She also said she was previously told off by Madam Ng's children for treating their mother roughly.
On Jan 17, after Madam Ng had changed into a fresh nappy, Sulikah grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up to a sitting position on the bed. She then hit the woman's head several times, lifted her off the bed and dropped her roughly on a chair beside the bed. She then proceeded to change the sheets during which she shoved Madam Ng's head.
On Jan 29, Sulikah was trying to get Madam Ng onto a rolling shower chair when she grabbed her hair and pulled her up to a sitting position, kicked her legs before lifting her and dropping her roughly on the chair. She then slapped her. On Feb 4, when the helper saw that Madam Ng's leg was not on the footrest of the chair, she kicked her legs repeatedly and hit her on the head.
Three days later, when Madam Ng touched the domestic helper's hand and later gestured with her left palm, Sulikah responded by shoving her face and grabbing the back of her neck,before pushing her backwards into the chair .
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kong Kuek Foo said Madam Ng's two daughters had spotted bruises on her left eye and hand when visiting her on Feb 10. They also reviewed footage from the closed-circuit television camera installed in the living room and found several occasions of physical abuse. Their brother lodged a police report the next day.
District Judge Jasvender Kaur said: "The repeated acts of abuse were something of a pattern which shows a contemptible and callous disregard for the welfare of the victim."
Sulikah could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000 on each charge of causing hurt.
