Graphic content warning: This article contains depictions of violence and abuse that some readers may find distressing. Viewer discretion is advised.

A domestic worker had punched and slapped a 101-year-old woman, before taping the senior's mouth to silence her screams.

Aye Aye Aung, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person and was sentenced to 20 weeks' jail on Mar. 28.

What happened

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the elderly woman became bedridden two years ago after falling multiple times.

She also depends on a feeding tube, and wears adult diapers. She is dependent on others to carry out basic activities.

The domestic worker had been caring for the woman for about three years.

Closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage captured multiple acts of abuse by Aye Aye Aung on two occasions, Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Both rounds of abuse lasted for around half an hour each time.

On both occasions, Aye Aye Aung had punched and pressed the woman's face and waist, punched the woman in the head and slapped her, causing her to wail in pain.

She also tied the woman's hands to the bed railings and punched her head, before using her legs to restrain the victim further whilst continuing to abuse her.

The abuse also included her kneeling on the victim's chest with her full weight and using surgical tape to cover the woman's mouth to silence her.

The woman could be heard in the footage saying "very painful" in Cantonese multiple times in response to the assault.

The domestic worker also bit the woman's hand and slammed it against the bed railings.

The woman's daughter, who lived with her and the maid, was unaware of the abuse her mother had endured, as she was not at home during the time of the incidents.

How the offences were brought to light

The victim's granddaughter had received a message from her aunt on Feb. 27, who told her what she would be sending her some videos of the abuse.

The granddaughter then went to the elderly woman's house to check on her, and spotted a wound on her right forearm.

To prevent causing any alarm, she avoided confronting the maid, and instead called the police after a discussion with her family.

The victim was also taken to the hospital for examination, where multiple bruises, new and old, were found on her.

Thankfully, the victim did not suffer severe injuries.

For each count of voluntarily causing hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

The maximum sentence can be doubled for offences against vulnerable victims.

Top photo via Frederic Köberl/Unsplash