Maid jailed three months for stamping on employer's foot, causing fracture

SINGAPORE - A maid who hit a retiree with a bamboo pole and stamped on her foot, causing her to fracture a bone, was sentenced to three months' jail on Tuesday.

Myanmar national Cing Sian Huai, 24, had pleaded guilty to inflicting the fracture on Madam Grace Toh Ah Bay, 66, on April 27 in the Bedok flat where she worked as a maid for Madam Toh and her mother, Madam Seah Cheng Poh, 93.

The court heard that the incident happened before 9pm that day when Cing refused to continue cleaning after Madam Toh scolded her for not cleaning the dishes properly. Cing said she did not want to continue working and insisted on returning to the employment agency but Madam Toh refused to unlock the gate. Cing tried to force open the lock using a window wiper. When this failed, she started hitting the gate with a bamboo pole, breaking the wiper and pole in the process.

Madam Toh tried to calm Cing down but the maid hit her hand three times with the pole instead, stamping on her foot after the attack caused her to fall. The attack left Madam Toh with bruises on her arms and a fractured metatarsal bone in the foot. She was given two weeks' hospitalisation leave.

Cing also pushed Madam Seah when she tried to intervene, causing her to fall and hit her thigh on a wooden chair. One charge of using criminal force arising from this, and another for causing hurt with the bamboo pole, was taken into consideration.

Cing is expected to be released from prison soon, considering the three months already spent in remand, and then repatriated home.

The maid, who had no previous convictions, could have been jailed up to two years and fined up to $5,000 for voluntarily causing hurt.

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