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Singapore

Woman jailed for torturing family friend, who was left incontinent and near death

Woman jailed for torturing family friend, who was left incontinent and near death

Photo illustration of an assault. (Photo illustration: Ngau Kai Yan)

SINGAPORE: A woman who joined her family in torturing an intellectually disabled woman after accusing the latter of performing oral sex on her husband was given eight-and-a-half years' jail on Wednesday (Feb 3).

The judge said Haslinda had hurt the vulnerable victim in "a cruel manner", seeing her as someone she could exploit. The victim was made to work for the family without pay and was chained up at night so she could not run away, he added.

Haslinda Ismail, 34, had splashed boiling water on the 30-year-old victim leaving wounds that stuck to her clothes, twisted her toes with pliers and made her husband slap the victim. She also made the victim stand all night and wet herself, assaulting her when she did, and urinated into her food before forcing her to eat it.

The victim was also abused by Haslinda's other family members, who treated her as a slave and chained her half-naked in the toilet in her own excrement, making her eat off the bathroom floor.

READ: Family treated woman as slave, knocked out teeth, poured hot water and chained her to toilet bowl

She was near death when taken to the hospital and now has permanent deformities and scars.

Haslinda had pleaded guilty to three charges of knocking out the victim's teeth with a hammer, splashing hot water and burning her lower body and twisting her toes with pliers so one of them fractured and another became deformed. Another 14 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The prosecution had called for at least nine-and-a-half years' jail. The victim had sought refuge with the Ismails as she knew one of the Ismail children from school, but they thought her "easy to eat" and two of the sisters decided to make her their slave.

After running away from home, the victim began staying with the Ismails in early 2016. However, after Haslinda accused her in mid-2016 of having oral sex with her husband, the Ismails began abusing the victim.

She tried to escape, but was confronted by Haslinda at her workplace and forced to follow her home. Thereafter, Haslinda confiscated her identity card and phone and she was later chained nightly to prevent her from running off.

On Hari Raya Haji on Sep 1, 2017, Haslinda instructed the victim to go to her new flat to help with preparations. She made her stand in the kitchen all night until she urinated on the floor.

Angered, Haslinda punched and slapped the victim, before hitting her with a hanger, a broomstick and a rolled-up towel. She tied up her limbs with cable ties and made her continue standing in the kitchen in her soiled trousers while the rest of the family arrived.

She also urinated into a packet of noodles and made the victim eat it, before making her husband slap her.

From late-December 2017, the victim was chained to the toilet bowl in the kitchen bathroom as she could no longer control her bowels. She was very weak and had dark liquid flowing out of her mouth and nose. 

Haslinda's sister, co-accused Hasniza Ismail, eventually called the ambulance. The family members initially lied to the police about the abuse the victim had sustained.

Hasniza was jailed for three years and given a compensation order of S$1,000 on Monday. Haslinda's husband was given three weeks' jail in November for slapping the victim's face on Haslinda's instruction. Hasniza's brothers, Muhammad Iskandar Ismail and Muhammad Iski Ismail, were jailed last month. 

Iskandar received two months and four weeks' jail for lying to the police about the case and voluntarily causing hurt, while Iski was jailed for eight months for lying to the police and asking his brother to lie as well.

AGC STATEMENT AFTER SENTENCING

In a statement to the media after Haslinda's sentencing, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) said the prosecution did not seek a compensation order for Haslinda as she "was assessed to not have the financial means to pay".

"She has been certified medically unfit for work and unemployed for more than a year, and her family was on social assistance," said AGC. 

"Under the law, a compensation order should only be made when an offender has the means to pay compensation within a reasonable time."

The S$1,000 compensation order sought in Hasniza's case was for the injuries she was responsible for, and AGC said the victim's medical expenses were largely covered by MediFund and did not arise from Hasniza's acts.

AGC added that their mother Hasmah Sulong faces "the most serious charges" - 17 offences including three counts of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, which can draw life imprisonment.

Hasmah's case is pending in the high court.

Source: CNA/ll(rw)

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