Maid jailed for ill-treating 10-month-old baby boy

Atmi Sana Sulaeman, an Indonesian domestic worker, was sentenced to 16 weeks' jail for ill-treating her employer's 10-month-old baby. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - An Indonesian domestic worker, whose sleep was interrupted by a crying baby, grabbed the 10-month-old boy's calf and flung him to the side towards her on a mattress they were sharing.

Atmi Sana Sulaeman did this twice on the night of June 22 and her actions were caught by a closed-circuit television camera her employer had installed in the child's bedroom.

After her employer made a police report on June 29, investigations showed that on June 19, Atmi had also flung the boy twice after feeding him.

Her employer cannot be named due to a gag order.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said the boy suffered no physical injuries when he was examined at KK Women's and Children's Hospital on June 29. District Judge Kessler Soh sentenced her to 16 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Sept 28) after she admitted to three counts of child abuse. He backdated her sentence to July 1 and told her that what she did was very wrong.

Atmi, who started working for the family in Woodlands on Oct 15 last year, said in mitigation that she was very tired at the time of the incidents.

The judge said in sentencing her: "I note that you are sorry for what you have done, and I am happy to note that, but it is a very serious thing to abuse a child, even when you are tired."

The mother of two could have been fined up to $4,000 and/or jailed for up to four years on each charge.

Two other similar charges were taken into consideration.

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