29-year-old domestic worker sentenced to 1 year in prison in Spora for slapping and punching 1-year-old child – Mothership.SG

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She lied that there was a fan in the living room next to the child.

A foreign domestic worker in Singapore was jailed for a year after her slaps and fists her employer’s one-year-old son, being alone at home with him.

The child, who was unwell at the time, has bruises on his right cheek and lip.

Hsu Yi Mon, a 29-year-old domestic worker from Myanmar, initially lied to the boy’s parents, claiming that he had fallen.

However, her actions became known when the child’s father reviewed the recordings of the home’s video surveillance cameras.

Hsu was later arrested and pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse.

A gag order was placed to protect the identity of the victim.

What happened

According to court documents, the abuse occurred on July 1, 2024.

Hsu was left at home with the sick child while his parents took his siblings to daycare.

Around 6:34 p.m., Hsu fed the boy dinner while sitting in front of him.

When the child cried, she wiped his mouth with a napkin.

A few minutes later, Hsu deliberately pressed her hands hard on his stomach and hit his right cheek with considerable force.

The slap sent the boy to the left, briefly tilting the child’s chair he was sitting on.

His head almost hit the wall, which, according to the prosecutor, could have caused more serious injuries.

After the blow, the boy started to cry again.

Hsu retaliated by punching him in the chest, making him cry even more.

She then took a container of sugar from the kitchen and applied it to her injured lip, trying to hide the injury.

Detection of the fact of cruel treatment

The boy’s parents and sisters returned home around 6:40 p.m.

Hsu told his father that the boy fell near a standing fan in the living room, causing his injuries.

However, after reviewing the CCTV footage, the father learned the truth.

The next day, the boy was examined at the National University Hospital (NUH) and found a slight red bruise on his right cheek and a bruise on his upper lip with an internal ulcer measuring approximately 1cm by 0.3cm.

On July 2, 2024, Hsu was arrested.

During the police investigation, she initially insisted on her false story and claimed that she did not tell her parents that she had hit the boy because she did not think she had “hit him that hard”.

Sentenced to one year of imprisonment

The prosecutor sought a sentence of 10 to 12 months, saying the victim was just over a year old at the time of the crime and was completely defenseless against Hsu.

In mitigation, Hsu said through an interpreter that she was “repentant” and that she “couldn’t control her anger.” CNA reported

She pleaded for leniency, citing her status as a divorcee and sole breadwinner for her two children and her parents.

However, the judge agreed with the prosecution, calling Hsu’s actions “egregious.”

In the end, Hsu was sentenced to one year in prison.

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