A woman who abused her maid just two weeks after the Indonesian started working for the family pleaded guilty on Thursday to three charges of voluntarily causing hurt.

Three other similar charges will be taken into consideration by District Judge Eddy Tham during Ong Si Mien's sentencing on March 4.

The court heard that the maid - identified in court documents only as Yulia - had arrived in Singapore on July 16, 2016.

It was her first trip here and Ong, 39, was her first employer.

About two weeks after the 33-year-old Indonesian started working for the family, Ong hit Ms Yulia on the head with a metal bowl.

Ong was upset at the way the maid kept the kitchen.

The blow left the bowl dented and caused the maid to be in pain.

Ms Yulia approached Ong's husband and told him she wanted to return to the maid agency. Ong learnt of this and told her that she would not allow it, scolding the victim for talking to her husband.

In another incident in August 2016, Ong scolded Ms Yulia for taking her shower later than usual. She then used a cordless phone to hit the maid on the top of her head, causing her pain.

"However, the victim remained standing in front of the accused, as one of the rules given by the accused was that she was to stay still when the accused was angry at the victim," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Soh Weiqi.

Ms Yulia again requested a transfer, but Ong refused.

On Sept 24 the same year, Ong slapped Ms Yulia after accusing the maid of wrongly dressing up her four-year-old son. The blow caused the victim to suffer a nose bleed.

When Ong later left the flat with her son, Ms Yulia took the opportunity to escape with her belongings.

She had with her only coins brought over from Indonesia as she had not been paid her wages throughout her employment.

The maid was in the Jalan Kayu area when she approached a stranger for help. The police were alerted, and Ms Yulia was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

A doctor examined her and found her nasal bridge to be tender.

Ong's lawyer Amarjit Singh said in mitigation that his client is suffering from depression with anxiety features and has borderline and obsessive-compulsive personality traits.

The lawyer said Ong is presently undergoing treatment at the Institute of Mental Health, and urged the judge to call for a report to determine her suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO).

Offenders given MTO undergo treatment for their mental condition in lieu of jail time.