S'pore woman, 55, who slapped maid, twisted her ears & pulled her headscarf in lift, gets 4 months' jail

A woman was sentenced on Jun. 3 to four months’ jail and ordered to pay S$5,000 in compensation after she pulled off her domestic helper’s headscarf while the two were in a lift.

According to CNA, the woman, 55-year-old Hasnah Hashim, pleaded guilty to two out of five counts of causing hurt, with the remaining charges taken into consideration during sentencing.

She also slapped the 32-year-old Indonesian domestic worker on a separate occasion.

What happened

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that the offences took place in August 2024 when Hasnah was still the victim's employer.

On Aug. 23 that year, both women had gone to the market in the morning and returned home at about 7:23am.

As the victim reached the ground-floor lobby, she entered a lift first and pressed the button to close the doors just as Hasnah was entering.

Hasnah managed to stop the doors from closing and stepped into the lift.

Angered by the incident, she grabbed the victim’s headscarf with both hands and pulled it down forcefully.

In the process, she also pulled the victim’s hair, causing her pain, and removed the headscarf, which the prosecution said caused humiliation as it was worn for religious purposes, CNA reported.

The incident was captured on video and later submitted as evidence in court.

The victim lodged a police report later that day and was taken for a medical examination.

She was found to have a 2cm bruise on her upper lip, which stemmed from an earlier incident three days prior, when Hasnah slapped the victim after she mistakenly placed a packet of tofu in the freezer.

Charge sheets further revealed that Hasnah had, on separate occasions in August 2024, hit the victim’s forehead with a mobile phone, pinched her thigh and pulled and twisted her ears.

These incidents formed the remaining charges that were taken into consideration for sentencing, CNA reported.

The prosecution added that the victim has remained unemployed since Aug. 23, 2024.

It said she had been unable to secure work as prospective employers were concerned that her employment could be disrupted if she were required to testify in court.

Her last drawn monthly salary was S$882.

Sentencing

The prosecution sought a jail term of between four and six months, and a compensation order of S$8,500.

This included S$1,000 for pain and suffering and the remainder for loss of income.

It noted that the victim had lost about S$18,500 in earnings over roughly 21 months of unemployment, but cited precedent in arguing against full compensation for the entire period.

According to CNA, Hasnah’s lawyer sought a three-month jail term, arguing that his client was remorseful and deserved leniency.

He also submitted references from her former domestic helpers, who described a positive working relationship, to show that she had generally been a good employer.

The defence further said Hasnah had spent about S$14,600 on the victim’s lodging and food during the period she was not working, and proposed a compensation order of S$1,000.

However, the prosecution argued that accommodation and food expenses were separate from the victim’s loss of earnings.

The judge ultimately ordered Hasnah to pay S$5,000 in compensation, comprising S$1,000 for suffering and S$4,000 for loss of salary, and sentenced her to four months’ imprisonment.

If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt, one can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

As the offences were committed against a domestic worker, Hasnah faced double the maximum penalty.