Sleeping maid molested by employer's husband, who gets 13 months' jail after assault woke the victim
Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok, and join our Telegram channel for the latest updates.
- A 54-year-old man was sentenced to 13 months' jail for molesting his domestic helper while she was asleep
- When she woke up, he begged her for forgiveness
- The truth came to light several months later during an argument over the maid's work performance
- District Judge Elton Tan said that the victim had been in a vulnerable position
BY
CHARLENE GOH
Published September 4, 2023Updated September 4, 2023
WhatsAppTelegramFacebookTwitterEmailLinkedIn
SINGAPORE — Seeing his maid taking a nap on the sofa, a 54-year-old man decided to molest her while she was in a defenceless position but was foiled when his victim woke up and caught him in the act of undoing her blouse.
Shocked at being found out, the man then begged his victim for forgiveness. To this, the domestic helper forgave him, though also stating that she would not forget what happened.
Several months later, the man's wife and daughter found out when the incident came to light during an argument over the maid's work performance. He then made a police report about what he had done.
In the State Courts on Monday (Sept 4), the man was sentenced to 13 months’ jail after pleading guilty to one charge of using criminal force with intent to outrage modesty in an earlier hearing. The names of everyone involved cannot be published due to a gag order imposed by the court to protect the victim.
While meting out the sentence, District Judge Elton Tan said that the victim had been in a vulnerable position as she was sleeping.
“The offence was also aggravated because it was done in the sanctity of her home, where she would have expected to feel secure,” he said.
The court heard that at about 3pm on Oct 26, 2021, the maid was taking a nap on the sofa, but woke up when she felt someone touching her.Upon opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was the man on top of her, with both of his hands on her blouse.
He was in the process of unbuttoning her shirt and his head was on her chest, the court heard.
The prosecution said that the man later admitted during investigations that he had been tempted to touch the woman’s chest when he saw her sleeping on the sofa.
He had first used his hand to touch her forehead to see she was still asleep, only starting to molest her when she did not respond.
Upon waking up and seeing the man touching her inappropriately, the woman immediately pushed him away and kicked him in the stomach.
Shocked that he was caught in the act, the man quickly apologised to the victim and begged her for forgiveness.
After the maid forgave him, she realised that one of the buttons of her blouse had already been undone and her bra had been moved, exposing her left breast.
Before her nap, her blouse had been fully buttoned and her bra in the correct position, court documents stated.
The court heard that the man’s deeds came to light half a year later on April 22, 2022.
The pair had gotten into a dispute over the victim’s work performance, which got more heated. The man began shouting at the maid, attracting the attention of his wife and daughter, according to court documents.
When the man’s wife intervened, the maid revealed that she had been molested by him previously.
To this, the man admitted to his wife and daughter and said that he had indeed touched their domestic helper’s chest while she was asleep.
Upon hearing this, the man’s wife agreed to the victim’s request to end her employment. The wife is the maid's employer.
The man's daughter also took the victim to the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore as her maid agency’s lodging was full.
The man also lodged a police report about his actions later that same day.
Court documents stated that the victim had a good working relationship with the man and each member of his
household, and had no disputes with anyone prior to the incident.
Appearing in court in a wheelchair, the man told the courts he was warded in Ng Teng Fong Hospital on Aug 24, and would thus need another two to three weeks to rehabilitate in the hospital.
Taking into account the man’s medical condition, District Judge Tan ordered him to carry out his sentence three weeks later on Sept 26. He was also given an additional two months’ jail in lieu of caning.
For his actions, the man could have been jailed up to three years, fined and caned.
