Man punched and kicked domestic helper for “being disrespectful”

Singapore—A Singapore man got angry at his mother’s domestic helper for “being disrespectful.” He punched her in the head so forcefully that she fell backwards into a cupboard and shattered the glass.

Benjamin Putra Chumali (33) was living with his 63-year-old mother and his sister in a Jurong West flat.

They employed a Filipina domestic helper, Fabre Jeizel Cabelte, to take care of the elderly mother and to do other house chores.

On the night of Nov 21, 2018, Chumali was playing a mobile game while his mother and Cabelte rested in the living room.

The mother said that while she was lying down, Cabelte placed her feet too close to the former’s head.

The mother then complained to Chumali about the incident.

Because of this, Chumali got distracted from his game and “lost his progress.”

He got angry and confronted Cabelte. A report by Today stated that Chumali punched the domestic helper in the face and kicked her three times.

The mother tried to intervene and told the helper to hide in one of the rooms. She then told the sister about Chumali’s violent outburst.

The sister then went to the flat to check what has been happening. She was accompanied by her husband and her child.

The couple saw Chumali in the living room watching television. Chumali did not respond well to their presence and told his brother-in-law that he was “being rude.”

He then punched his brother in law in the face then headbutted him.

Chumali pleaded guilty to two charges of causing hurt to the domestic helper and to his brother-in-law.  He could be jailed up to two years, or fined up to S$5,000, or both. /TISG