Maid jailed for slapping, kicking employer’s son, 8, who has ADHD
A maid slapped and kicked her employer’s eight-year-old son, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), out of frustration at his behaviour.
The abuse, which took place in January 2024, was caught on a neighbour’s doorbell camera.
Sakinah, 25, who goes by one name, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Feb 21 after she pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt. She faced an enhanced penalty as the victim is under 14 years old.
There is a gag order on the victim’s identity and the location of the offence to protect the boy’s identity.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lu Huiyi said Sakinah, who is from Indonesia, had been working for the employer since June 2023.
Apart from doing household chores, Sakinah took care of four of her employer’s children.
She had been told that the eight-year-old boy has special needs and requires special attention.
Sakinah was responsible for getting him and two of his siblings ready for school on weekday mornings and taking them to the foot of the block to board the school bus.
On Jan 31, 2024, at around 6.15am, Sakinah asked the three children to get ready as their school bus was due to arrive at 6.20am.
“However, the victim was playing with his crayons and robot in the house and was slow to put on his shoes,” said DPP Lu.
After Sakinah took the crayons and robot away, the boy began shouting and refused to wear his shoes.
Sakinah was unable to manage the boy’s behaviour and grew frustrated with him.
When they were outside the flat, the boy lay on the floor and refused to get up.
Sakinah slapped him on the head and forearms and also flicked his right ear.
As the boy lay on the floor kicking, thrashing and wailing, she grabbed him by the arm to try to drag him up. She then slapped him on his head again.
After the boy got into a sitting position, Sakinah pushed him over with her knee, and kicked him once on the leg while he was on all fours on the floor.
The boy missed his school bus and Sakinah took him to school using public transport.
He had a scratch on his arm and an abrasion on his knee. His mother did not take him for a medical examination as she believed the marks were minor and would heal on their own.
A neighbour who lives on the same floor made a police report at about 11am on the day of the incident.
In the report, he stated that he had viewed camera footage from his doorbell camera as he had heard a boy crying early in the morning outside his neighbour’s unit.
In mitigation, Sakinah said she has a six-year-old child who lives with her mother in Indonesia. She added that her husband had left the family and that she is the sole breadwinner.
For voluntarily causing hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both. The maximum punishment is doubled if the victim is under 14.
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