Training officer convicted after pushing woman with intellectual disability, dislocating her knee
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On July 7, Nur Amira Shahirah Azmi was convicted of one charge of voluntarily causing hurt.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
- A training officer, Nur Amira Shahirah Azmi, pushed an intellectually disabled woman, causing a dislocated and fractured left knee.
- The prosecution said there was a chance the victim may suffer a permanent injury from the incident.
- Amira was convicted of voluntarily causing hurt and will be sentenced on Aug 7.
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SINGAPORE – Angered that one of her charges did not follow her instructions, a woman employed as a training officer at a social service agency pushed the latter.
The push resulted in the dislocation and fracture of the victim’s left knee, leaving her in pain and unable to stand or walk on her own.
On July 7, Nur Amira Shahirah Azmi, 21, was convicted of one charge of voluntarily causing hurt. She will return to court on Aug 7 to be sentenced.
A gag order has been imposed on the victim and the location where the offences took place. The prosecutor said the victim was vulnerable, having been diagnosed with an intellectual disability in 2015.
The court heard that on Aug 30, 2024, the victim and a client were seated in a room while waiting to collect their lunch. Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheryl Tan said the victim had previously been instructed not to assist other clients as the training officers wanted them to become more independent.
When it came to the pair’s turn to get their lunch, the victim extended her hand to the other client to guide him towards the room’s front door. One of the training officers reminded her not to assist him.
At that point, Amira overheard her colleague talking to the victim and became furious with the latter for not following instructions.
Amira stormed towards the victim and scolded her, causing the victim to retreat into the room. Using her right hand, Amira then pushed the victim on the shoulder, causing her to fall and hit the ground.
DPP Tan said Amira continued to scold the victim, even as she was crying on the floor. The victim pointed to her left knee, prompting Amira to roll up her pants to check, but Amira could not see any obvious signs of injury.
Later that day, other training officers observed that the victim became unable to stand or walk on her own. Amira then informed her supervisors about the victim’s condition, but said she did not know why the victim was in pain.
The victim was taken to hospital that evening, and doctors found that she had sustained a left patellar dislocation and several associated fractures.
While the injury did not require any surgery, the victim was placed on a hinged knee brace for six weeks to restore her range of motion and ability to bear weight.
On July 7, DPP Tan told the court that there could be potentially lasting effects from the injury, as the victim had not regained her full range of motion at her most recent medical review.
