A maid caught on CCTV in several acts of assault against a 22-month-old baby received a 10-month jail sentence on Thursday (Aug 25),
Sri Eha Santika Sari, 29, was seen on camera, among other things, pulling the baby’s hair and hitting her. She pleaded guilty to assault.
When first confronted, however, she denied having mistreated the child.
Many netizens, while condemning her cruel actions toward the helpless baby, also asked whether a helper should also work as a nanny for very young children on top of their other duties.
The helper was employed in December 2020 by a family living in Bishan.
She was tasked with household chores as well as the care of two young girls, a five-year-old and a baby, including the nighttime routine of the younger child, which meant feeding her and putting her to bed, TODAY reported.
The baby’s father installed a CCTV in his daughter’s room for monitoring purposes.
On Aug 28, 2021, while watching the live feed from the camera on his phone, he saw the helper grab the child by her arm and thigh, and then forcefully swing her on a mattress.
After seeing this, he confronted the helper, who denied wrongdoing.
Her caregiving duties toward the baby were stopped soon afterwards.
The baby’s father later viewed the entirety of the footage from the CCTV in the baby’s room, and on Sept 26, notified the police. On the following day, the child was examined at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where it was determined that she was not injured.
As police investigated the matter, the helper told them that she had handled the baby roughly since June 2021, which would make her cry.
“Among other acts, (Sri) would resort to hitting the victim, flicking her on her ears, pulling her by her hair, knocking her on her head, smacking her on her feet, pushing the victim back onto the mattress forcefully when she tried to move away, or pulling her by her hands or feet when the victim was restless or did not sleep,” The Straits Times quotes Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana as saying.
“The victim was especially and exceptionally vulnerable at only 22 months old, entirely defenceless and in no position to fend for herself, given the gross physical disparity at play and her inability to seek help,” the DPP added.
Commenters condemned the maid’s actions as inexcusable, as well as expressed sympathy toward the baby and her family.
However, some asked if maids, who are not trained for infant care, should be given these tasks at all, in addition to the many other tasks they already have.
/TISG
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