S'pore woman, 67, pressed hot iron on domestic helper's arm, asked her to continue working after she cried

A domestic helper in Singapore was burned with an iron by her employer's mother-in-law after she got angry at the helper for placing the iron near a wooden cabinet.

The defendant, Chen Longying (transliteration), pleaded guilty on Jun. 15 to one charge of abuse of the domestic worker.

The victim, a 28-year-old Burmese, had been working for Chen, 67, since Jul. 11, 2024, Shin Min Daily News reported.

At the time of the incident, Chen lived with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons, and Chen's daughter-in-law was the victim's legal employer.

This was the victim's first time working in Singapore.

Hot iron

On Sep. 6, 2024, at 6:30pm, the helper was ironing clothes at home and had placed the unplugged hot iron on the floor after.

Chen noticed that the iron was placed very close to the wooden cabinet and got angry, scolding the helper for being careless.

The helper reportedly argued that the iron wasn't hot, which made Chen even angrier.

She then grabbed the iron from the floor, placed it on the helper's right arm for about two seconds, and asked her if it was hot.

The helper then insisted that it wasn't hot, and Chen pressed it on her arm for another two seconds.

When the helper began to cry and apologise, Chen reportedly refused to accept it and ordered her to continue doing the housework.

Accustomed to corporal punishment: Defence

During the court hearing, Chen's lawyer said that she grew up in China, where she was "accustomed to corporal punishment".

It was also revealed that she was suffering from severe depression at the time of the offence.

The domestic helper's injuries were serious enough to require 90 days of medical leave, Shin Min reported.

She did not seek immediate treatment after sustaining the burn injuries and was only taken to a clinic two days later through arrangements made by the employment agency.

The prosecution urged the court to impose a prison sentence of between 18 and 21 months.

The prosecution also asked the court to order Chen to compensate the helper, including S$10,000 for emotional and mental distress and a further S$1,000 for two months of lost income.

Following the incident, Chen had reportedly already paid the helper S$10,000 as a gesture of apology.