SINGAPORE – A woman who had gotten along well with her domestic helper for more than two years became agitated at the helper, who refused to stop shouting at a temporary helper.
In the heat of the moment, the woman slapped her helper once on the face.
While the slap left no marks, bruises or visible injuries, the helper reported the incident to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), which then referred the case to the police.
On Oct 16, Habibah Bebi, 62, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt.
Her lawyer, Mr Haneef Abdul Malik from Trident Law, said Habibah will be filing an appeal against the sentence.
The helper, a 42-year-old Indonesian national, had worked in Habibah’s household since January 2021.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chan Yi Cheng said the domestic helper had admitted she got along well with the household during the time she was employed there. There was also no prior unhappiness between Habibah and the helper, the prosecution added.
When the helper took a short holiday to return home to Indonesia in April 2023, Habibah employed a temporary helper, who continued to work in the household after the Indonesian helper returned.
On May 11, 2023, the Indonesian helper realised that $30 was missing from her wallet. She asked Habibah’s daughter to check the CCTV footage to see if anyone had taken her money.
The next day, the temporary helper approached the Indonesian helper and claimed that the latter had falsely accused her of stealing the money.
Angry over the confrontation, the Indonesian helper went to Habibah, who listened to the two helpers and then told the temporary helper that she was to return to the agency on the same day.
But the Indonesian helper continued to shout at the temporary helper. When she did not stop shouting, an agitated Habibah pushed the Indonesian helper on her shoulder and slapped her once on the face.
The helper reported the case to MOM, after making up an excuse to leave the house. She also sought medical treatment at Changi General Hospital on May 13, 2023, but was discharged with no medical certificate after no injuries were observed.
Mr Haneef, who asked for only a fine of $10,000 for Habibah, said: “This case is exceptional in that it is totally unlike any of the past reported cases. She got along well with the family.
“Barring this one incident which was a spur-of-the-moment act, there was not any other instance of abuse. It was truly a one-off incident. This is not a case of prolonged sustained abuse inflicted on the helper.”
In sentencing Habibah to three weeks’ jail, instead of the six weeks the prosecution had asked for, District Judge Terence Tay noted there was no evidence that Habibah had restrained the helper in the bedroom during the incident.
He pointed out that there was also no evidence of psychological harm, or observable facial injuries after the slap.
