Man jailed 4 months for repeatedly abusing maid

Victim, fellow helper fled via ground-floor flat's window to seek help from maid agency

Yusni Yunos was also ordered to give the victim $1,500 as compensation.
Yusni Yunos was also ordered to give the victim $1,500 as compensation.

An aircraft technician repeatedly abused his Indonesian domestic helper and even assaulted her following a Hari Raya gathering in June 2018.

On another occasion, two months later, Yusni Yunos, who works for SIA Engineering Company, pulled Ms Nenti Rusnianti's left ear twice after she failed to inform him that she was going to sleep that evening.

Afraid for their safety, Ms Nenti, 27, and Yusni's other Indonesian helper, Ms Rani Nurhayati, 29, climbed out of a window of their employer's ground-floor flat at around 2am on Aug 27, 2018, and took a taxi to Ms Rani's maid agency to seek help.

The police were alerted to Yusni's acts of abuse at around 1pm that day.

The 46-year-old Singaporean father of three was sentenced yesterday to four months' jail after pleading guilty to three counts of assault. Six other similar charges were considered during sentencing.

He was also ordered to give Ms Nenti $1,500 as compensation.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Derek Ee said Yusni had employed Ms Nenti on Jan 13, 2017, but later felt that she was incompetent and was "causing him problems".

In April 2017, Ms Nenti was sitting on the floor in Yusni's living room when he walked past and kicked her right knee once.

The DPP told District Judge Sarah Tan: "As a result of the kick, the victim suffered a blue-black (bruise) on her right knee. However, she did not seek any medical attention."

The court heard that a decision was later made to send Ms Nenti back to Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Yusni had employed Ms Rani in advance on June 1, 2018, as Ms Nenti's replacement.

Yusni assaulted Ms Nenti again following a Hari Raya gathering at his home later that month, as he was unhappy that she had cleared a plate while a guest was still eating.

After the guests left, he reprimanded the maid and used his hand to knock the top of her head once, causing her to scream in pain.

At around midnight on Aug 26, 2018, the two maids were in their room when Yusni scolded them for not informing him that they were going to bed.

He ordered Ms Rani to step out before assaulting Ms Nenti. After that, he asked the older woman to return to the room and continued berating the pair. The two maids finally fled on Aug 27 that year, and the police were alerted.

Yusni was offered bail of $10,000 yesterday and was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Feb 20 to begin serving his jail term.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 24, 2020, with the headline Man jailed 4 months for repeatedly abusing maid. Subscribe