A Singapore court sentenced a 28-year-old-woman to 20 months in jail on Wednesday after she was found guilty of grievously hurting her house maid.
The accused, identified as Zinnerah Abdul Majeed, has admitted to three charges - two of causing hurt with a heated substance and one of hitting the maid's arms with a bicycle lock.
It is reported that Zinnerah placed a hot spoon on 23-year-old May Thu Phyo's face after she finished the food left by the employer's husband. The court also heard that it was the husband who asked May to eat the food as he could not finish it.
According to the Straits Times, on another occasion, Zinnerah, a mother of three, used a heated spoon on May's forearms for accidentally breaking a cup while she was washing dishes in the kitchen.
A district court, as reported, heard that the maid has been working for the family, living in Yishun Avenue 4, for more than a year and the torture began sometime in August 2015.
It was reported that Zinnerah was already angry with the victim for losing her trolley and damaging several of her things when she found out that she has broken a cup. She not only punished the maid on that occasion by placing a heated spoon on her forearms but hit her arms with a bicycle lock.
Investigations by the police reveal that on 1 September 2015 Zinnerah's husband, Mr Mohammed Yazar Arafat Abbas Manthiri, told the maid to finish the meal he was having as he could not complete it, the news portal reported.
May obliged the orders and finished the food. However, on finding out this, Zinnerah confronted the maid, who chose to remain silent. A furious Zinnerah then heated a spoon on the stove and placed it on the left side of the maid's face. May ran away three days later.
The police were informed about the victim after public found her in a distressed state at a void deck several blocks away.
According to the news portal, the maid had multiple injuries on her face, arms and shoulders when she was found. Moreover, she also had second-degree burn wounds on the left side of her face and hands.
During the hearing, lawyer V. Suriamurthi said his client is remorseful for her act and has already paid $6,180 compensation to the maid. However, a jail sentence of 20 months was imposed on Zinnerah. The accused could have been jailed for up to 10½ years and fined on each charge.
Police have shifted May to a shelter home for the time being.
