Maid on 19 child abuse charges

[Cao Pi]

Nov 25, 2010

Maid on 19 child abuse charges

By Elena Chong

AN INDONESIAN maid was charged in court on Thursday with 19 counts of ill-treating her employer's infant daughter. Desi Kurnia, 25, allegedly committed the offences at a flat in the east between Nov 30 and Dec 4 last year. She is accused mainly of slapping and throwing the year-old child onto the mattress, causing her pain. One of the charges accused her of kicking the child and stepping on her leg.

Another charge states that she caused unnecessary suffering to the toddler when she allegedly threw her onto the mattress while carrying her and used a pillow to press on her head. If convicted, Desi can be fined up to $4,000 and/or jailed for up to four years on each charge under the Children and Young Persons Act. Her police bail was extended. Desi, who intends to engage a lawyer, will be back in court on Dec 2.

 

[Red 4]

Mar 26, 2011

Maid who abused child jailed 33 months

By Elena Chong & Elizabeth Soh

Desi Kurnia could have been jailed for up to four years on each of the eight charges of ill-treating the child. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

HARROWING footage of a teenage Indonesian maid shaking, slapping, kicking and dropping her employer's one-year-old daughter was played in court yesterday.

Desi Kurnia, 17, was sentenced to 33 months in jail after pleading guilty to eight charges of ill-treating the child.

She was 16 when she committed the offences at her employer's home in the east, over a period of five days in late November and December 2009. Her age was originally given as 25.

The victim has made a full recovery.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong said Desi, a transfer maid, had been told specifically not to discipline the child, now aged two.

Yet, the victim's grandmother noticed that Desi had hit the baby.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

[youallhumsup]

Judge reduces jail term for maid who abused child
By Ng Jing Yng, TODAY | Posted: 13 September 2011 1654 hrs

SINGAPORE: A frustrated Indonesian maid repeatedly slapped a one-year-old child under her care, threw her onto a mattress and even tried to smother the child's cries.

Desi Kurnia, 17, was initially jailed 33 months for abusing the child.

But the underaged domestic helper appealed in the High Court, and on Tuesday, succeeded in having it reduced to 24 months.

High Court judge, V K Rajah, said this was a difficult case to preside over, especially when dealing with a 17-year-old.

Desi had claimed she was 25 to her employers.

Justice Rajah said: "While her conduct...is completely unacceptable, it seems to show that she did not deliberately set out to hurt the child. She was unable to cope with the situation and reacted inappropriately."

The court also heard that besides having to care for the child and her older sibling, Desi also had to cope with household chores.

During the hearing, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the child being abused was aired.

Three clips were shown, each lasting less than a minute.

Desi was seen beating the girl after failed attempts to soothe her cries.

The incidents took place between November and December 2009.

CCTV footage also showed Desi trying to comfort the child but she looked visibly frustrated when she could not do so.

Justice Rajah said this case was a matter of public interest as a young child had been abused.

He added that child abuse offences ought to be treated seriously and for adult offenders, the sentencing would have been much heavier.

Earlier, Justice Rajah noted that Desi had switched two employers over a short period previously and pointed out that there was no responsibility on the agents' part to disclose the maid's employment history to new employers.

- TODAY/cc