Elderly woman who pinched & hurt her helper with a nail clipper charged with abuse

SINGAPORE: A 68-year-old woman who injured a domestic helper she employed was charged with maid abuse earlier this week.

Lim Lay Choo is expected to plead guilty on Sept 24.

According to court documents, the incident when Lim injured her helper occurred on Jan 4 at her Housing & Development Board flat in Bukit Batok. The older woman was said to have pinched the forearm of the helper. Afterwards, she allegedly poked the arm with a pair of scissors and then “clipped” the arm with a nail clipper.

Lim’s actions left an abrasion, a bruise, and seven scratch marks on the helper’s right arm.

If she is found guilty of the charge against her, she could be jailed for as long as six years, be slapped with a fine of as much as S$10,000, or both.

The name of the helper, as well as her age and country of origin, has not yet been identified in news reports.

Under Singapore law, there are enhanced penalties for the abuse and ill-treatment of domestic helpers.

“We take allegations of abuse and ill-treatment of an FDW seriously, especially if they concern physical or sexual abuse,” the website of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reads.

“Complaints of abuse are investigated by the police.

If convicted, employers will face severe penalties under the law. They and their spouses will also be permanently banned from employing another FDW.”

More information regarding the enhanced penalties for offences against domestic workers may be found here.

The most severe case of maid abuse in Singapore in recent years was that of 24-year-old Myanmarese domestic helper, Piang Ngaih Don, who was abused and tortured to death by her employer.

In June 2021, 40-year-old Gaiyaithiri Murugayan, the wife of a police officer, was sentenced to 30 years’ jail by the High Court. However, due to her mental disorders, including major depressive disorder, the murder charge that Gaiyaithiri had originally been charged with was reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The Singaporean woman began physically assaulting Ms Piang in October 2015. The court heard that Gaiyathiri physically assaulted Ms Piang almost daily over the next 10 months and treated her inhumanely, such as forcing her to shower and relieve herself with the toilet door open. Almost every day, Gaiyathiri rained blows and kicks on Ms Piang, pulled her from the ground by the hair, burned her with a heated iron, choked her, or hit her with objects like a plastic bottle or a metal ladle. Gaiyathiri also starved Ms Piang until she grew emaciated. Ms Piang, who would be forced to eat sliced bread soaked in water, cold food straight from the refrigerator, or just some rice at night, lost 38 per cent of her body weight and weighed just 24 kilograms at the time of her death. /TISG

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