Indian Woman Receives 16 Weeks Jail Term For Physically Assaulting Domestic Helper In Singapore

A 37-year-old Indian woman in Singapore was on Thursday sentenced to 16 weeks in prison on Thursday after she pleaded guilty to repeatedly beating her domestic helper, also from India, over dissatisfaction with her work.

Monica Sharma also threw vomit on the 25-year-old victim.

The victim, who was hired by Sharma’s husband, started working at the family’s condominium apartment near River Valley Road on January 20, 2021.

On April 10, 2021, the maid was cleaning some toys in the hotel when Sharma raised her voice because the young woman was not happy with the task.

Then she slapped the assistant three times. Sharma’s husband, who was nearby, tried to stop the attack and apologized to the victim for his wife’s behavior.

Instead of stopping, Sharma grabbed a toy and hit the victim once on the head with it.

According to the court documents, she also threw vomitus on the younger woman’s face, but nothing was revealed in court records.

Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Arvindren said the maid suffered injuries, including swelling above her left eyebrow and a bruised nose.

The maid took pictures of her injuries and sent them to her agent in India, who then forwarded the pictures to some contacts in Singapore. The police were notified the next day.

Officials went to the residence and later saw the maid at Changi General Hospital. She was discharged after a while.

On Thursday, the DPP asked the court to sentence the housewife to at least five months in jail, noting that the assault took place in the privacy of her home, which was difficult to detect.

Defence lawyer Amarjit Singh Sidhu pleaded for leniency, telling the court that Sharma was prone to anxiety attacks and had attended a number of sessions at the Centre for Psychology.

Sharma’s bail was set at 10,000 Singaporean dollars on Thursday, and she is expected to appear in State Courts on May 23 to begin serving her sentence.

Several such cases of physical and sexual abuse have come to light in which Indian couples or individuals have been found guilty.

In March of this year, a 38-year-old Indian-born woman in Singapore was sentenced to 10 months in prison term for misbehaving with her maid.

She applied cream foundation powder to the domestic helper’s face to cover up bruises from the police.

(With input from PTI)

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