Maid jailed 16 years for stabbing to death 95-year-old employer who spat in her face

SINGAPORE – A domestic worker from Myanmar

who stabbed her 95-year-old employer

in the face with one knife, and in the neck with another knife, was sentenced to 16 years in jail after she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide on Tuesday.

Sandar Htoo admitted that she stabbed Madam Ang Pek Chai because she was angry at the elderly woman for spitting in her face that morning and wanted to “teach her a lesson”.

The stabbing took place between 12.55pm and 1.30pm on July 6, 2020, in Madam Ang’s two-storey semi-detached house in Recreation Road that she shared with her 78-year-old son.

The grey-haired Myanmar national is 36 years old according to her identification documents, but her assigned lawyer Daniel Koh said she was actually 51 and had told the maid agency she was younger to gain employment.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua told the High Court that Sandar Htoo arrived in Singapore in December 2019 and started working for Madam Ang, her second employer, in February 2020.

The maid’s duties were to care for Madam Ang, who had difficulty walking and relied on a walking frame, and handle the household chores.

At about 8am on July 6 that year, Sandar Htoo was late in helping Madam Ang, who then spat in her face and uttered “naughty Myanmar maid”.

Sandar Htoo kept silent and wiped the spit off her face with her T-shirt. Hours later, the spitting incident was still on her mind while Madam Ang was taking her afternoon nap. Madam Ang’s son had left the house.

“She was upset as this was not the first time she felt ill-treated by the deceased, who she alleged had scolded, slapped and spat at her on prior occasions,” said the prosecutor.

The maid took two knives from the kitchen – one with a 20cm blade and another with an 8cm blade – and headed to Madam Ang’s bedroom with the intention of stabbing her.

She plunged one knife into Madam Ang’s mouth and the other through the left side of her neck. When the elderly woman woke up and started struggling, the maid quickly covered the victim with a blanket.

Sandar Htoo then climbed over the fence so that she would not alert Madam Ang’s other children, who lived in neighbouring houses.

She ran towards Upper Serangoon Road, where she asked a passer-by for help to get to a police station. The passer-by then called a Grab ride and accompanied her.

At the police station, she told officers in simple English “Ah Ma” and “killed”, and made a stabbing motion.

Madam Ang was found motionless, holding one knife in her hand, with the other still lodged in her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Myanmar national originally faced a murder charge, but the charge was reduced after she was assessed to be suffering from adjustment disorder with depressed mood, a mental condition that diminished her responsibility for her actions.

A report from the Institute of Mental Health said the disorder was brought about by chronic stress from her difficulty in coping with her duties, communication barriers and being socially isolated in the months leading up to the offence.

The DPP sought a jail term of between 18 and 20 years, while Mr Koh asked for between 12 and 15 years. For her crime, Sandar Htoo could have faced life in prison, or a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine.