S'pore Maid Jailed 3 Years For Punching And Kicking Autistic Boy, Netizens Say Sentence Too Lenient

A 29-year-old Indonesian domestic helper (maid) was sentenced to 3 years' jail on 30 Oct for abusing a four-year-old autistic boy under her care and sending videos of three children to her husband in Indonesia.

The woman punched the boy at least 23 times, kicked his head and sprayed water into his one-year-old brother's face. She also filmed some of the assaults and sent four photos and videos of the children to her husband via WhatsApp.

District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz described the case as a "profound betrayal of trust", noting that the four-year-old was non-verbal and fully dependent on the helper.

The woman pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating a child and one charge of electronically transmitting obscene materials. Six other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The woman's identity cannot be disclosed due to a gag order protecting the children.

The abuse came to light after the children's father checked the helper's phone, suspecting that she was malingering. He found the recordings and alerted the police.

The defence said the helper had asked to be transferred twice before the incidents. She also had a report from the Institute of Mental Health indicating that she had been feeling stressed at the time.

Under Singapore's Children and Young Persons Act, anyone who has the custody, charge or care of a child and ill-treats them can face up to eight years' jail, a fine of up to $8,000, or both.

The maximum jail term was doubled from four to eight years in 2020 under amendments to the Act.

Where the abuse results in a child's death, offenders can face up to 14 years' jail and a fine of up to $40,000.

This is not the first reported case of a domestic helper abusing someone under their care in Singapore.

In 2025, a Myanmar domestic helper was sentenced to one year and four weeks' jail for repeatedly hitting and manhandling an 82-year-old man with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The abuse was captured on CCTV.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also disclosed in a parliamentary reply on 5 February 2025 that Singapore recorded about 45 reported cases each year from 2022 to 2024 involving migrant domestic workers suspected of abusing those under their care.

About 30 cases annually involved children, while around 10 involved elderly people.