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SINGAPORE: A nurse in a nursing home was jailed for 16 weeks on Wednesday (December 23) for beating and kicking a resident in a wheelchair.
Filipino Flores Alvin Jay Vargas, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of willfully wounding a 67-year-old man, who had been a resident of All Saints Home in Jurong East since a 2017 car accident left him in a chair on wheels and with brain trauma.
Vargas was employed as a registered nurse and took care of the residents there.
On May 25 of last year, the victim asked for a knife to cut an apple but was told that one could not be given.
He threw a tantrum and repeatedly pressed the bell on the wall behind his bed, drawing Vargas towards him. Vargas tried to explain why they couldn’t give the victim a knife, but the victim kept pressing the bell.
When another nursing assistant tried to turn off the doorbell, the victim began pressing another hand bell. When Vargas tried to remove this second bell, the victim yanked on Vargas’ shirt, ripping it.
Vargas became angry and punched the victim on his chest several times, before kicking his bed frame and kicking his body.
The nursing assistant saw what happened and asked Vargas to stop. Another employee also told Vargas to stop what he was doing, reminding him that it was wrong.
The older brother of the victim visited him later and found out what had happened. He filed a police report and took his brother to the hospital after a nursing home doctor examined the victim and noted tenderness in the chest.
A medical report noted alleged crack fractures to two of the victim’s ribs and he was hospitalized for seven days before being transferred to a community hospital for rehabilitation.
The prosecutor asked for at least 16 weeks in jail, pointing out Vargas’ abuse of position, the victim’s vulnerability and the fact that Vargas had asked the nursing assistant to lie to cover up the incident.
Vargas’ attorney said his client is the sole breadwinner for his family in the Philippines and he is deeply sorry.
He said Vargas regrets the incident and vows not to break the law in the future.
For willfully causing harm, he could have been imprisoned for up to two years, fined up to S $ 5,000, or both.
