Jail for man who hit maid with belt after she told his wife about his conduct

SINGAPORE: Angry that a domestic helper had told his wife about his conduct, a man whipped the woman with a belt, despite his wife's attempts to shield the victim. 

The 62-year-old man was handed a jail term of three months and ten days on Wednesday (Jun 11) following his conviction after trial. He was also ordered to pay the victim S$1,000 (US$779) in compensation.

He was found guilty on all three charges he contested, which were for causing hurt to the maid, using criminal force, and insulting her modesty. 

The parties in this case cannot be named to protect the victim's identity. 

The victim was employed as a domestic helper by the accused's wife on Jul 13, 2022, and resided with the couple along with their three children. 

According to the prosecution, the accused had been home with the victim and his children on Sep 1, 2022 when he made sexual remarks to her. 

At about 3pm, he told the victim in a mix of Bahasa Indonesia and Malay the offensive words. The victim then asked him, "Why don't you do that with Ma'am?", and he responded that he had not done so for a "long time already". 

The victim replied that under Muslim law, she was not allowed to touch anyone apart from her husband or a relative. 

The accused responded, "Whatever things between me and you, only both of us know. Between you and Ma'am, only both of you know". He asked the helper to shake his hand as a promise that she would not tell his wife about the encounter. 

She placed a headdress on top of her hand to shake hands. 

Subsequently, the maid relayed what the accused had said to her to his wife. The wife gave evidence that the maid had been scared and said she had rejected the accused's advances. The wife told the victim that she had done the right thing. 

Later, as the man was walking the victim home from his wife's parents' house, he again told her to keep anything that had happened between them. 

He added: "What's the use of you often praying but you ruin the family. If you want to go back, please go back to your agent."

On Sep 3, 2022, the wife took the victim and children out and returned at about 2am the next day. 

As the wife was heading to bed, the accused asked her for intimacy but the women refused. As they argued, the wife told him "don't disturb the maid". 

After that, the man went to the victim's room to confront her. 

He banged on her door, and slapped and punched the victim's face when she answered it. He then dragged the helper to the master bedroom and hit her head and back with a belt more than five times.

The wife testified during trial that her husband had grabbed a belt that was hanging from the door of the master bedroom. 

The wife hugged the victim to shield her, but claimed that she herself was not injured even though she was hit a few times. 

As he hit her, the man asked the maid whether she could swear under oath that he never touched her. The man only stopped his attack after his wife pointed out that there was blood on the victim's head.

As a result of the assault, the maid had an abrasion on the top of her head with dried blood, bruising over her face and tenderness over her torso. 

The next day, a maid agency employee took the helper to the Ministry of Manpower to register her thumbprint but noticed that the victim cried on the return trip. 

The helper was later brought back to the agency, which then lodged a police report. 

In his defence, the accused denied saying the offensive words, and attributed the allegations to a misunderstanding due to the differences between Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. 

He denied punching or slapping the victim, and hitting her with a belt. 

He said that he went to the helper's room with the intention of having her confess, and the injuries could have been inflicted during a scuffle when he dragged her to the master bedroom. 

In reply, the prosecution said that the victim understood both languages and neither misheard nor misunderstood the accused. 

In any case, the offending words had the same meaning in both languages, the prosecution said, referring to evidence given by a professional interpreter.

As to the injuries, the prosecution said that the "only plausible explanation" was the accused having violently assaulted her, noting the testimony of two doctors who said that the injuries were consistent with an assault.

"The accused does not deny furiously confronting (the victim) on Sep 4, 2022 after suspecting that she disclosed his conduct to (the wife). His anger at (the victim) belies his guilt," said the prosecution. 

The prosecution sought three to four months and 10 days' jail for the accused, noting in its sentencing submissions that the man was convicted of criminal intimidation in 2013. He was jailed for this past offence.