August 20, 2019, 05:24 PM
A foreign domestic helper from Indonesia caught on video throwing a five-year-old child on the ground twice in Punggol was jailed for eight months on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The 24-year-old domestic helper pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating the child, under the Children and Young Persons Act.
She cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.
The child was injured from the incident.
Details of the conclusion of the case was reported by CNA.
Mother made police report
The boy's mother made a police report after seeing the video on Facebook.
The video was taken by a 32-year-old Chinese national woman who happened to see the incident and posted the video on a WeChat group.
The video was shared on Facebook, where the victim's mother saw it two days after the incident happened.
She recognised her son and the domestic helper, and made a police report.
What happened
On the morning of March 12, 2019, the boy went towards a field in Punggol with a ball.
The helper went after him.
The helper picked the boy up, but he struggled.
She then spanked his buttocks, so that he would not struggle.
The helper grew frustrated when the boy continued to struggle.
She threw him onto the grass field on purpose and picked him up again.
She repeated the action.
She subsequently carried the boy back home.
Told his mother
The boy told his mother he felt pain in his chest and that the helper had thrown him to the ground.
The helper denied this and claimed the boy had rolled on the grass.
The mother initially did not pursue the matter, until she saw the video.
Boy injured
The boy was taken to hospital on March 15.
A doctor found mild tenderness over his spine and chest area.
The prosecutor asked for eight to 10 months' jail after the footage was played in court.
The helper told the judge via an interpreter she would like to apologise to her employer and asked for a lighter sentence.
She could have been jailed for up to four years, fined a maximum of S$4,000, or both for ill-treating a child in her care.
She was unrepresented.
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