A shocking and coldblooded case of assault on an elderly woman in Singapore has come to notice. According to the Straits Times, Indonesian maid Jaimah Hapit Said, 32, has been sentenced to 40 months and six weeks in jail for assaulting and robbing her employer’s elderly mother of $9,000.
The incident occured at a residence in Bedok on Sep 26, 2016.
Cruel and deliberate plan
Apparently, it had barely been a month since the maid had joined the household.
Madam Hwang Sai Kin, 81, was alone in her room at around 2 pm, when Jaimah came in and asked if she hated her. In spite of Madam Hwang replying in the negative, she quickly grabbed her right hand tightly and pushed her on to the bed. Madam Hwang lost her balance and fell backwards.
It did not end there. She next sat on the elderly woman’s body, and stuffed white cloth into her mouth so that she wouldn’t shout. She also made sure Madam Hwang’s legs were restrained.
She decided to show some leniency after about 10 minutes, and removed the cloth. This time, she asked for money. Madam Hwang, it seems, readily agreed.
Grabbed her neck
Next, Madam Hwang was made to sit in a corner of the room. Jaimah was however, in no mood for mercy, for she grabbed her neck so hard that Madam Hwang even found it difficult to breathe.
She finally decided to stop the abuse and demanded money from Madam Hwang, who handed over $3,600.
When the elderly victim said she was hungry and requested for food, Jaimah made sure that she removed her mobile phone and the room telephone, before going to the kitchen to get food.
This cunning woman even adjusted the CCTV in the living room so that it wouldn’t capture her movements. She got bread and water for Madam Hwang, and also brought with her a knife.
She then threatened the elderly lady that if she didn’t stay in the room for at least half an hour, she would get stabbed with the knife.
House ransacked
The maid then went about looting the house, and ended up with a haul of $4,580 and three bangles from her employer’s bedroom. She was however unable to find her passport.
Before she left the house with the loot, she made sure that the telephone lines were disconnected to prevent the victim from reaching out for help. But Madam Hwang eventually managed to reconnect the phone line and called her sister. She was found to have minor injuries on the neck and forearm.
Jaimah was finally arrested three days later, when she sought help from the Indonesian Embassy.
How can you make sure that your maid is reliable and trustworthy? Go to the next page to find out!
Our heart goes out to this elderly woman who had to go through so much torture at this age. In Singapore today, when both parents are working, hiring a maid is no longer considered a luxury. It has become integral to the smooth running of most households, for taking care of the young and the elderly.
And yet, it is this group which is the most vulnerable, and unable to fend for itself. One question that usually haunts us is, “How can I leave my kids alone with someone I barely know?”
Here are some tips that will help you choose a reliable maid:
- Choose a reputable maid agency : Do your research beforehand. Check out the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)’s website for maid agencies. Pay special attention to these parameters:
- Agency Experience : It is better to choose agencies which have experience of more than 5 years simply because it is assumed that they know their job well.
- FDW Placement Volume : Choose a value greater than 200. Any agency with greater than 200 placements is considered big by the MOM and has to place a higher security deposit with the MOM. This ensures that the agency is “serious” about its work.
- Show only agencies with no demerit points.
- FDW Retention success rate : Choose a value greater than 50. This is a very important criterion. FDW Retention success rate means the percentage of helpers who remained employed with the same employer for 12 months or more.
- FDW Transfer rate : Choose a value between 0 and 10. FDW Transfer rate refers to the percentage of helpers who were transferred from 1 employer to another for 3 times or more.
2. In case of a transfer maid, do not hesitate to contact the previous employer to better understand the the maid’s nature and the reason for transfer.
3. Interview the maid : Make sure that the ground rules are all laid out, and that she consents to them. Explain in detail what is expected from her in terms of chores, and taking care of the kids or elderly.
Also READ: Maid caught stealing from her employer!
(Source: The Straits Times)
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