14 months’ jail for maid who dipped baby girl’s hand into hot pot

In a shocking revelation, a Singaporean mum found out that the second-degree burns her 16-month old daughter suffered were a deliberate attempt by her maid to end her employment.

In a viral Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 21), the child’s mother wrote that on Jan 14, her older 8-year-old child called her husband said that their baby had suffered a burnt hand. When the parents rushed their baby to a nearby clinic, the doctor thought it was too serious a burn and referred them to the Accident and Emergency department of a hospital instead.

While cooking one afternoon, Lin Lin Htwe dipped the baby’s hand into a pot of hot water, then told her employers it was an accident.

Her employer added that it was rather suspicious when her maid packed up and demanded to be sent to the agency the next day. Sensing that something was amiss, Ms Low checked the CCTV footage and found that “The maid, she did it on purpose! ！！It was never an accident! She took my daughter’s hand and dipped her hand inside a boiling pot”.

On Wednesday (Oct 28), the 30-year-old Myanmar national was sentenced to one year and two months’ jail for her actions.

She had pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to the girl by means of heated substance.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Jane Lim told the court today that she sought at least 16 months’ jail, saying that photographs showed the girl’s burns were “clearly red, swollen and painful”. Blisters had formed on her fingers and forearm, which healed over 10 days, a report on TODAY Online said.

The maid’s lawyer, Ms Lolita Andrew, said in mitigation that Lin Lin Htwe was made to work seven days a week and had no outlet to express her frustration, as she was not allowed to have a mobile phone. Her agent had also refused to transfer her to another employer.

In a letter, Lin Lin Htwe also apologized saying: “I’m very sorry for the incident, I did not intend to harm or hurt the toddler I was looking after for over a month.

For causing hurt by a heated substance, she could have been jailed up to seven years or fined, or both. While the offence carries the possibility of caning, women cannot be caned under Singapore law. /TISG