SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A man and his wife physically abused their Indonesian domestic helper over six months, committing acts such as slapping her.
Wang Cheng Xiang, 47, and Jin Yan, 36, carried out the offences against Lutin, 31, between July 2017 and January 2018.
Their offences came to light in January 2018 after Lutin, who had several facial injuries, went to a playground and bumped into another maid.
This second maid snapped pictures of Lutin’s injuries and posted them on Facebook. A third maid alerted the authorities after she saw the post.
Wang, a director at engineering design and consultancy firm Oceantek Marine & Offshore, was convicted of two assault charges involving Lutin, who goes by only one name.
Chinese national Jin, a housewife, was convicted of offences including four counts of assault.
The couple have an eight-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter.
Lutin, who was employed by Wang, started working at the couple’s home at the Adria condominium in Novena on June 24, 2017.
The acts of abuse started soon after.
In her submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said that in July that year, Jin slapped Lutin as the maid had forgotten to wipe some utensils dry. Jin then called the maid’s agent, Hong Wan Yi.
The DPP told District Judge Prem Raj: “Lutin spoke to Wan Yi and told her she wished to... change her employer because Jin had started to use her hand on her.
“However, Wan Yi informed Lutin... that she would tell Jin that she may scold Lutin, but not physically assault her.”
After that, Lutin passed the phone back to Jin, who spoke to Hong.
Lutin then followed Hong’s suggestion to continue working for the household.
Despite this, Jin continued abusing the maid later that year.
Jin was out with her children in October 2017 when Lutin decided to cook some rice at home. When they returned, Jin’s son touched the hot rice cooker and his finger was blistered as a result.
According to court documents, Jin then slapped Lutin on the cheek more than twice, pulled her ponytail and swung it until the maid fell. She then kicked Lutin’s chest.
Jin also told Wang about the boy’s injury. Wang later slapped Lutin when he returned home that evening.
Some time in November or December that year, Lutin was packing some clothes into a cupboard in the master bedroom when her employer’s two children climbed onto furniture in the living room.
The DPP said that Jin then went to the maid and slapped her cheek more than twice. Lutin developed ulcers in her mouth after this.
In January 2018, Lutin accompanied the couple’s son to a bathroom, leaving his sister alone in the living room. The young girl then made her way to another bathroom.
The court heard that Jin became unhappy when she saw that Lutin had left her daughter unattended and scolded the maid.
Jin then slapped Lutin and dragged her by her ponytail from the common toilet to the television area in the living room and then kicked her on the back, DPP Wong said.
On Jan 3, 2018, Lutin forgot to hang up the boy’s uniform and instead placed it inside a basin, causing it to become wet.
The DPP said that Jin then slapped Lutin and used a toy guitar to hit her cheeks until it broke. Wang also slapped the maid when he returned home that evening.
Lutin met another maid at a playground the next day, and the police were alerted soon after.
The couple, represented by lawyer Low Cheong Yeow, claimed that the offences never occurred.
Their mitigation and sentencing are expected to take place in August.
