SINGAPORE - The mother of a one-year-old boy was watching a live feed from a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in her flat when she saw her maid shoving her son's forehead.
The crying child landed on his bottom and the maid Susiana, who goes by only one name, then grabbed both his wrists before swinging him up and down several times.
The 36-year-old Indonesian was sentenced on Monday (March 2) to eight weeks' jail after pleading guilty to one count each of ill-treating the boy and stealing from his mother.
The child and his family members cannot be named because of a gag order to protect his identity.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Chan said the boy's father had employed Susiana, whose duties included taking care of the child.
At around 5.15pm on Sept 27 last year, the man's 30-year-old wife watched the live CCTV feed of their Punggol flat on her mobile phone and saw Susiana cooking in the kitchen.
The boy was later seen crying as he walked towards the maid.
Frustrated by his cries, Susiana pushed his forehead with her left hand, causing him to fall backwards and land on his buttocks.
DPP Chan said: "The... victim continued crying. He sat on the kitchen floor for about 10 minutes before standing up on his own.
"In her frustration, the accused grabbed both of the... victim's wrists with her hands, and swung (him) up and down several times. The accused swung (him) as high as to her chest level."
Susiana then carried the child out of the camera's view.
His parents rushed home and confronted the maid, who admitted ill-treating their son.
The police were alerted and the maid was arrested soon after.
Before Susiana left with the police, the child's maternal grandmother asked the maid to empty her bag of its belongings.
A plastic bag containing a mobile phone belonging to the child's mother was found in Susiana's possession.
The maid admitted that she had stolen the phone, as she wanted to call her son.
For ill-treating the child, she could have been jailed for up to four years and fined up to $4,000.
For stealing the mobile phone, she could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
