30-3-2024 (SINGAPORE) A maid who physically assaulted a 101-year-old woman under her care has been sentenced to 20 weeks’ imprisonment on Friday (March 28) in Singapore.
Aye Aye Aung admitted guilt to two charges of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person, as detailed by Assistant Public Prosecutor Chye Jer Yuan.
The court heard that closed-circuit television footage from February 23, 2024, captured Aye Aye Aung subjecting the elderly woman to multiple acts of abuse over a span of about 30 minutes. The maid punched the elderly woman in her waist, causing her to cry out in pain, before immobilizing her by tying her hands to the bed railings. Subsequently, Aye Aye Aung knelt on the victim’s chest, using her full body weight to restrain her, and silenced her cries by taping her mouth shut.
APP Chye revealed, “At this juncture, the victim was so afraid of the accused that she raised her hand to defend herself from the accused.” Aye Aye Aung continued her assault by repeatedly slapping the elderly woman’s face while tending to her feeding tube.
Further footage from four days later depicted a similar pattern of abuse, with Aye Aye Aung assaulting the victim through punching and slapping on multiple occasions.
Crucially, the victim’s daughter, residing with her and the maid at the time, remained unaware of the abuse as she was absent from home on both dates of the incidents.
The 43-year-old granddaughter of the victim was alerted to the abuse after receiving videos from her aunt on February 27, 2024. Upon viewing the distressing footage and noticing a wound on her grandmother’s forearm, she visited the victim’s home to check on her. Opting not to confront the maid to avoid escalating the situation, she promptly sought police intervention on February 28 after consulting her family.
Following a medical assessment at the hospital, the elderly woman was found to have sustained multiple bruises, particularly on her arms and chest. The assessment also revealed her reliance on others for basic daily activities, bedridden status, dependence on nasogastric tube feeding, and limited communication abilities.
APP Chye expressed gratitude that the victim did not endure severe injuries owing to Aye Aye Aung’s actions.
Under Singaporean law, each count of voluntarily causing hurt carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Moreover, penalties can be doubled for offences against vulnerable victims.
