S'pore elderly woman, 77, dies on day that domestic worker, who allegedly abused her, gets sent home

An Indonesian foreign domestic worker was sent home on Oct. 8 for allegedly abusing her employer's elderly mother.

The victim, a 77-year-old woman who was in poor health after suffering a stroke, died the same day the domestic worker was sent home, reported Shin Min Daily News.

This was months after the abuse allegedly happened.

The alleged abuse

The employer, surnamed Wang (transliteration from Chinese), first discovered the alleged abuse in January 2024.

The 25-year-old domestic worker had become impatient when Wang's mother drank milk too slowly.

She allegedly hit the woman's arm.

Wang said that when her mother turned to look at the domestic worker blankly, the domestic worker shook her body.

Back then, Wang thought that a verbal warning would have been enough to correct the domestic worker's behaviour, but she eventually caught the domestic worker on CCTV camera abusing her mother further.

The domestic worker had allegedly forced milk down her mother's throat and pressed her head into the bed when her mother swallowed too slowly.

The domestic worker had also hit the elderly woman and shook her body vigorously.

Wang eventually called the police on her domestic worker, who was arrested on Sep. 23 at about 11:30pm.

Agency urged to send her home

Wang said the domestic worker was released by the police as there was insufficient evidence found.

The family was unaware that a medical examination was needed as proof of abuse.

They did not manage to obtain one in time.

The agency also urged the employer to buy a plane ticket to send the domestic worker home, which Wang did in early October as she was busy nursing her sickly mother.

On the day the domestic worker was supposed to fly home, Wang's mother died.

"She never apologised [for the abuse]. She only said sorry after I sent her a photo of the wake," Wang said.

"I feel very sorry for my mother as she was treated badly when she was alive, and we are unable to seek justice for her after she passed away," Wang added.

"Every time I visited my mother, she would cry": brother

Wang's brother revealed that their mother worked as a nanny when she was younger.

She had diabetes, and suffered a stroke around three years ago, rendering her bedridden.

The elderly woman wanted to move in with him, but he had to take care of his wife and children, making it difficult for the his mother to move into their rental flat.

He shared that his father had passed away two years ago.

The elderly woman ended up moving in with Wang as her health declined.

Wang's brother managed to obtain a flat in Tengah, and was supposed to move in sometime in March 2024, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed their plans.

At the beginning of the year, his mother's condition had deteriorated so much that she was unable to speak.

She could not express that she had been enduring the abuse.

"Every time I visited my mother, she would cry," he said.

"I didn't know what happened at the time, but it still hurts to think about it now," he added.

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Top photo via Shin Min Daily News