[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – A man repeatedly abused his family’s maid with acts such as slapping the woman across the face and splashing her with hot water.
As a result, Ms. San Pa Pa, who is from Myanmar, suffered a burn.
Unable to tolerate further abuse by James Ong Teck Keong, the 24-year-old attempted suicide in 2017 by jumping from the hallway in front of her employer’s home on the ninth floor of a Jurong West apartment block.
It had to be held by Ong’s wife, Madame Lee Bee Li, and another maid, Ms. Htay Win, who worked on the same block.
Assistant prosecutors Andre Chong and Benedict Teong said in their filings that police investigations later uncovered the abuse.
On Thursday (November 26), a district court found Ong guilty of four counts of assaulting Ms. San Pa Pa.
The 48-year-old Singaporean was also convicted of one count of reckless act by throwing a full bottle of water at her. Ong committed the crimes in 2015 and 2016.
Ms. San Pa Pa started working for her family in August 2014.
Prosecutors said: “One year after her employment, in late 2015, the defendant was unhappy with the quality of her work and began to physically abuse her.
“Between late 2015 and 2016, the defendant slapped the victim in the face three times … He also hastily threw a water bottle filled with anger shortly after the second slapping incident.”
At the end of 2016, Ong had a dispute with the maid over the temperature of the water used to make her son’s milk.
He then poured hot water on it, which landed on his waist and left arm. She was scalded on the left side of the waist and was unable to shower or sleep properly for two weeks.
Ms. San Pa Pa was also unable to call her mother because her employers had blocked her mobile phone.
He had to use Ms. Htay Win’s phone to call home. The court heard that Ms. Htay Win also saw Ms. San Pa Pa’s scald scar.
On July 13, 2017, the court heard that Ong returned home in anger after Madam Lee repeatedly called him, saying that San Pa Pa had taken a package of powdered milk without permission.
DPPs said Ong scolded the maid so loudly that Ms. Htay Win, who was working two floors up, could hear him.
Ms. San Pa Pa attempted suicide the next day after Madam Lee lectured her.
The Myanmar citizen was immobilized and taken to a police station. The DPPs said that Ms. San Pa Pa left Singapore.
The court heard that Ong, who is represented by lawyers Anil Lalwani and Adrian Teo, had admitted in two of his statements to authorities that he had slapped the maid.
But in court, he testified that “it was not a slap, it was a slapping motion.”
Ong’s bail was set at $ 3,000 on Thursday and he will be sentenced on January 7 of next year.
For using hot water to voluntarily harm a domestic worker, a criminal can be imprisoned for up to 10 and a half years and fined or punished.
[ad_2]
