\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE \u2013 Frustrated by his employer\u2019s demands, a freelance caregiver took it out on his patient by punching him and hitting him in the face. <\/p>\n
Joel Goh Ming Xuan, 22, was sentenced to 54 days\u2019 jail on Dec 5 after pleading guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person.<\/p>\n
Court documents showed he was employed by the victim\u2019s mother in March 2024 to care for her son, who was bedridden and non-verbal.<\/p>\n
This included duties such as cleaning the victim, changing his diapers and helping him move around the house.<\/p>\n
In May that year, Goh started arranging fewer sessions with the victim, as he was upset that his employer, the victim\u2019s mother, often made him run additional errands and would send several messages to check on his whereabouts while he was carrying them out.<\/p>\n
On July 2, 2024, Goh was upset again with his employer and decided to take it out on her son.<\/p>\n
At about 8.25am, he told the woman, who was resting in the master bedroom, that he could manage taking care of her son on his own, and then closed the bedroom door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis roused the (woman\u2019s) suspicion and she remotely turned on the closed-circuit television (camera) in the living room, which was linked to her mobile phone,\u201d Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordy Kay told the court.<\/p>\n
Video footage played in court showed Goh shifting the victim on the bed in the living room while changing his diaper at about 8.45am. <\/p>\n
He tried to separate the victim\u2019s legs and punched the victim\u2019s thighs when he felt the latter resist.<\/p>\n
He also hit the victim\u2019s face once with his palm and shook his head vigorously when he wiped the victim\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
Goh\u2019s actions caused pain to the victim, which led him to bite his inner lower lip.<\/p>\n
Alarmed by what she saw, the victim\u2019s mother rushed into the room to check on her son.<\/p>\n
She asked Goh what happened, but he did not respond.<\/p>\n
The woman did not confront him then, as she wanted to rewatch the video footage before deciding what to do. <\/p>\n
She and Goh later carried the victim to the master bedroom. Goh prepared food for the victim before leaving the flat.<\/p>\n
The woman lodged a police report against Goh on July 5, 2024. <\/p>\n
He was arrested on Sept 30 that year. <\/p>\n
Court records showed that Goh had made voluntary restitution of $3,000 to the victim\u2019s family, and wrote them an apology letter on Sept 28, 2025.<\/p>\n
The prosecution sought a sentence of eight to 12 weeks\u2019 imprisonment for Goh, noting that there was a serious abuse of trust, as he was hired to care for the victim.<\/p>\n
DPP Kay added that his offence was detected only because of the vigilance of the victim\u2019s mother. <\/p>\n
Goh\u2019s lawyer, Mr Roy Paul Mukkam from A.W. Law, argued for a lighter sentence, saying it was an \u201cunfortunate incident\u201d, and that Goh had made restitution to the victim.<\/p>\n
In sentencing Goh, the judge said there was some form of premeditation in his acts, as he made sure he was alone in the room with the victim before committing the acts of violence.<\/p>\n
Goh will begin his sentence on Dec 29.<\/p>\n
For voluntarily causing hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n