Man Gets 14-Week Prison for Abusing Maid in Singapore
SINGAPORE: A 52-year-old security guard accused his Filipina maid of stealing food from the fridge and microwave at night and assaulted her.
Janardana Jayasankarr grabbed 31-year-old Miezel Cagas Limbaga’s T-shirt, dragged her into a bedroom and, together with his wife, took turns to hit the maid on Jan 20 last year, reported Strait Times.
Janardana slapped her face, and punched her stomach and chest, the report said.
His wife, Vidya Jayasankarr, 32, slapped the maid and grabbed her neck with both hands, it added.
As the Filipina lay on the ground in pain, unable to get up after the assault, the man stamped on her back, said the news portal.
On Friday, he was sentenced to 14 weeks’ jail after he pleaded guilty to three charges of assault. He admitted to another count of the same, which was taken into consideration during sentencing, it said.
Limbaga reportedly started working for the couple, who have two children, aged four and five, in October 2014.
She earned $400 a month, and did not have any days off. Her duties included doing housework, cooking and taking care of the children, the report said.
On one occasion in late November 2014, Janardana slapped her face.
Two days after he had assaulted her with his wife, he again attacked Limbaga early in the morning.
That same morning, when Limbaga took the children to school, another Filipino maid saw bruises on her face, and chest area. Limbaga told her she had been beaten up by her employers. At about 9am, she was punched on her chest, and kicked in her stomach and back by Janardana, said the report.
Limbaga confirmed she had been assaulted to the policemen who went to the Jayasankarr household at Block 556, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, later that day, after the other Filipino maid filed a police report.
Medical records showed bruises on her scalp, cheeks, upper chest, back and left hip.
Rajan Nair,lawyer of the accused, told the court in mitigation that Limbaga is an inefficient household worker.
“She neglected her duties, had poor hygiene and could not get used to the family’s lifestyle,” he was quoted saying by Strait Times.
The lawyer also reportedly claimed that Limbaga had punished the children by beating them with a broom on few occasions, and threatened to punish them further if they told their parents about it.
The maximum penalty for voluntarily assault is two years’ jail and a $5,000 fine. The maximum punishment for the offense, if committed against a domestic maid by her employer, or a member of the household, is three years’ jail and a $7,500 fine, the report pointed out.
Janardana will start serving his sentence on April 1, said the news portal, adding that his wife has been sentenced to a week in jail.