(From left) Tan Ai Tee, Tan Pei Ling and Tan Huat arriving at State Courts, on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. - The Straits Times/ANN
SINGAPORE, March 7 (The Straits Times/ANN): Soon after their maid started working for them, a family began a six-month reign of terror by slapping and hurting her with a heated iron and knife.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Derek Ee said on Tuesday the abusers were Tan Huat, 70, his wife Tan Ai Tee, 68, and their daughter, Tan Pei Ling, 46.
He said the Indonesian maid, Ms Heni Rahayu, 27, usually started work at around 6am and would often go to bed at only between 2am and 4am.
She had no days off and was not allowed to leave her tormentors’ Ang Mo Kio flat on her own.
Ms Heni also could not contact her agency as she had no access to a mobile phone.
Her plight came to light when a neighbour alerted the police about a possible case of maid abuse.
Events manager Tan Pei Ling, who splashed hot coffee onto Ms Heni and assaulted her with a heated iron, pleaded guilty to two assault charges. She was sentenced to 20 months’ jail.
Her mother, who assaulted Ms Heni with a knife, drawing blood, was given nine months’ jail after pleading guilty to an assault charge.
Tan Pei Ling’s father was sentenced to three weeks’ jail for slapping Ms Heni.
He had employed her on Jan 13, 2020, and this was the maid’s first time working in Singapore.
After about a week of working for the household, Ms Heni told him she wished to return to her agency as she felt his wife and daughter were never satisfied with her work performance.
They started abusing her soon after.
She was cutting vegetables between April and June 2020 when the elderly woman felt she was working too slowly.
She scolded Ms Heni, grabbed the knife from her right hand and pierced the back of the victim’s right hand near the wrist with the sharp tip of the knife. It caused the back of her hand to bleed.
Said DPP Ee: “Ai Tee used tissue paper to stop the bleeding, and Pei Ling subsequently applied antiseptic medication on her open wound. The victim was not brought to see a doctor following this incident.”
On other occasions, the elderly woman also knocked Ms Heni’s head with her fist and used a plastic pail to hit the maid’s head and body.
Around June 2020, Tan Pei Ling used a plastic chair and a metal pole to hit Ms Heni’s body, leg and neck.
The same month, her father slapped Ms Heni’s mouth twice with his right hand.
DPP Ee told the court: “After slapping the victim, Huat told the victim that if Ai Tee or Pei Ling was talking to her, she had to reply instead of keeping quiet. This was the only time that Huat hit the victim during her employment.”
Ms Heni was still performing her chores at around 2.30am on July 23, 2020, when she felt hungry and sleepy. She went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.
While she was mixing the hot coffee, Tan Pei Ling entered the kitchen and became angry with the victim for stealing the coffee.
DPP Ee said Tan Pei Ling snatched the cup of hot coffee from the victim’s hand and splashed it onto Ms Heni’s face and body.
Tan Pei Ling then told Ms Heni to iron all the clothes in the living room and if she did not complete the task by 5am, she would not be allowed to sleep or eat.
The maid was ironing the clothes at around 4am when Tan Pei Ling asked her if the iron was hot enough.
She then picked up the hot iron and placed it on Ms Heni’s right forearm for one to two seconds, leaving behind a burn mark.
A neighbour who heard shouting from the Tans’ flat alerted the police at around 5.50am and officers arrived about 10 minutes later.
Ms Heni was taken to hospital with multiple injuries including facial bruises and burn marks.
Tan Huat started serving his sentence on Tuesday.
Tan Pei Ling’s bail has been set at $20,000, while her mother was offered bail of $15,000.
The two women are expected to surrender themselves to the State Courts on April 3 to begin serving their sentences. - The Straits Times/ANN
