8 months' jail for maid who threw toddler onto sofa

A maid who threw a toddler - causing her to hit her head on a sofa's wooden armrest - was jailed for eight months yesterday.

The 36-year-old Indonesian, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating her.

Another charge of using criminal force on the girl was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The family employed the maid in December 2019 and tasked her with taking care of two children and handling household chores.

On Sept 4 last year, at about noon, she grabbed the two-year-old victim by the armpits and threw her forcefully onto the sofa.

The toddler's head hit the armrest, which was made of wood and covered with padding.

A video of the incident, captured by a security camera in the home, was played in court yesterday.

It showed the child's head hitting the armrest with a dull thud, which was loud enough to be picked up by the camera several metres away.

The victim could be heard crying immediately after impact.

The maid admitted that she was upset with the toddler for messing up the home. She had told the victim not to make a mess but the child could not respond as she had not learnt to talk yet.

The victim's mother called the police after watching the home camera's feed through her phone.

Together with her husband, she later confronted the maid who denied throwing the toddler.

Instead, the accused claimed that as she carried the victim to the sofa, the child slipped through her hands.

This was established to be a lie.

The child vomited while being taken to hospital that afternoon but was discharged after being found to have no significant injuries.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Louis Ngia urged the court to jail the maid for at least nine months.

He said she had used the toddler to vent her frustration, even as the victim was only a child who could not even speak at the time.

The maid, who was unrepresented, told the court that she was sorry and wished to return to Indonesia as soon as possible.

For ill-treating the child, she could have been jailed for up to eight years, or fined up to $8,000, or both.