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FOR three consecutive days in early 2007, an Indonesian maid working in Sengkang was physically abused, including being hit with a metal spatula until it broke.
On Feb 17 and 18, Ms Luluk Wiji Utami, 30, was slapped, punched and had her hair pulled by Munirah Abdullah, 47; the spatula incident took place on Feb 19.
The maid’s error: failing to clean one of the fans in the flat, although some accusations about missing money were also made.
Munirah’s son Mohamed Sirat Abu, 27, then an auxiliary police officer, also did his bit on Feb 17. He kicked the maid, grabbed her by her hair and swung her head around until she lost her balance, fell and hit her head.
Mother and son, found guilty earlier by District Judge Roy Neighbour, were yesterday sentenced to 12 months and six months in jail respectively.
The maid, employed by the household since August 2006, told the court earlier that she did not shout for help out of fear of Munirah.
The maid finally ran away on Feb 24. She was found crying at the void deck of a block of flats in Hougang, her black eye and bruises still visible.
Defence counsel Rudy Marican said Munirah, a divorcee with four children, had chronic asthma, which was why Sirat hired the maid to help her with the housework. Pleading for leniency, Mr Marican, who also represented Sirat, said the young man had recently lost his job.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Victor Lim said the use of the spatula was an aggravating factor.
Mother and son could have been jailed for up to 18 months and/or fined up to $1,500 on each charge.
