Maid admits to abusing employer’s year-old son on more than 20 occasions in 2024

SINGAPORE – A maid who could not control her frustrations repeatedly abused her employer’s one-year-old son on more than 20 occasions between March and July 2024.

Nucom Loreta Talbo, 30, later told investigators that she had hit the victim as his cries had disrupted her sleep.

On July 16, the Filipina, who has children of her own in her hometown,

pleaded guilty to ill-treating the little boy.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Heershan Kaur said that Talbo was a seasoned domestic helper who was employed in Singapore for the past five years.

She worked at the victim’s household for 11 months, since September 2023, and shared a room with the victim.

On Dec 27, 2023, an infant-care teacher found injuries on the child’s body. When confronted, Talbo denied causing them. Court documents did not state if she had caused the injuries.

Her acts of abuse came to light on July 23, 2024, when the boy’s parents heard him crying.

The couple checked the footage of a CCTV camera installed in the room, and saw her ill-treating their child. Further review of earlier CCTV footage revealed additional incriminating clips.

In one of the earlier acts of abuse, Talbo was seen carrying the boy by his left thigh and armpit to move him within a playpen on March 5, 2024.

After that, she forcefully turned him to his right side to put him to sleep, court documents state.

Shortly after 5am on July 1, 2024, she used her right fist to hit the child’s head. She struck his head again at around 4pm that day as she wanted him to close his eyes and go to sleep.

The court heard that the child was crying in the playpen at around 1am on July 13 that year when she slapped his face. She then pulled him upwards by his head to place him in the centre of the playpen.

Later that morning, she pinched his cheek and used her right fist to hit his head once.

On two separate occasions on July 15, 2024, she slapped the victim’s head about 12 times in total, causing him to cry.

Talbo ill-treated him again three days later, through acts including slapping his face, slamming him down and hitting his right hip with her hand.

On July 21, 2024, she slapped his face, pulled his hair and pushed his head down with her finger.

She continued abusing him over the next two days, such as by pinching his ear and hitting his head.

The boy’s parents finally found out about his ordeal on July 23 that year.

DPP Kaur said: “The accused was confronted, but she denied hitting the victim despite being shown the CCTV footage.

“The police were called in. The accused was removed from the household and lodged in a temporary shelter pending investigations.”

The child’s father later reviewed the other recordings that showed Talbo ill-treating the victim between March and July 2024. He then shared the footage with the authorities.

However, as the device was faulty, he could not ascertain if she had abused the boy between September 2023 and March 2024.

On July 16, DPP Kaur asked for the offender to be given two years and six months’ jail, adding: “Because of his tender age, the victim, who relied entirely on the accused, his caregiver, was unable to fend for nor defend himself. This calls for a plainly deterrent sentence and retribution.”

Talbo will be sentenced on July 30.