Maid jailed for sending nude photo of 79-year-old man she was showering to her husband

SINGAPORE — A maid was sentenced to three months' jail on Tuesday (Feb 14) for taking a nude photo of a 79-year-old man she was showering, and sending it to her husband.

In the accompanying message, 40-year-old Indonesian national Hidayah wrote: "Salary 8 million (rupiah) but my job is hard, bathing the elderly."

Hidayah, who goes by one name, pleaded guilty to one count each of voyeurism and distributing an intimate image, with another three charges taken into consideration.

The court heard that the victim's son-in-law hired Hidayah in February 2022 through a domestic helper agency.

She was hired to provide live-in caregiving assistance to the victim. The victim's son-in-law also gave Hidayah a handphone, deducting the cost from Hidayah's salary.

The victim suffered from Parkinson's disease and needed help for daily activities such as eating, showering and changing. 

At about 10.30am on April 18, 2022, Hidayah was bathing the victim when she received a call from her husband. Her husband asked her what she was doing, and she replied that she was showering the victim.

Using the handphone her employer had given her, Hidayah took a selfie, with herself in the foreground and the victim in the background. She did it without the victim's knowledge.

Hidayah then sent her husband the photo on WhatsApp, followed by a message in Javanese: "Salary 8 million (rupiah) but my job is hard, bathing the elderly."

She did so knowing that the victim did not consent to the sending of the photo, and knowing that it was likely to humiliate him.

EMPLOYER DISCOVERS PHOTO

The victim's son-in-law got back the handphone he had "lent" to Hidayah in May 2022, before sending her back to her agency.

He was looking through it when he discovered the incriminating photo. He then checked through her WhatsApp chats and realised that Hidayah had sent the photo to her husband and her sister-in-law.

The victim's son-in-law lodged a police report. Police investigations revealed that Hidayah had taken another photo of the victim similarly naked on a toilet bowl on April 22, 2022.

In a charge taken into consideration, Hidayah had sent this photo to a friend via Facebook Messenger.

The prosecutor asked for three to four months' jail, saying the victim was vulnerable and suffered from Parkinson's disease. Hidayah had also abused her position as the victim's caregiver by taking the photos without his consent.

However, he noted that Hidayah did not intend to gain personally by taking the photos, and that her offending was not premeditated nor sophisticated. CNA