Man jailed 12 weeks for assaulting domestic worker, who fled to ex-employer’s home

SINGAPORE — A 47-year-old man who physically abused his domestic worker thrice, and even told her he had previously been jailed for murder, was jailed for 12 weeks on Friday (April 9).

While S-Roslee Dolah’s claim turned out to be false, he had been sent behind bars and given 12 strokes of the cane for robbery in 2005. He had also committed drug offences between 1998 and 2009.

The 47-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to two charges of voluntarily causing hurt to the worker, a 47-year-old Indonesian.

Three other charges, including using criminal force and causing alarm to her, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The victim was tasked with performing household chores and helping S-Roslee's wife with her day-to-day activities. The other woman accompanied S-Roslee to court on Friday in a motorised wheelchair.

Court documents showed that around May or June last year, he had pulled the victim’s headscarf and “used threatening language by telling her that he had gone to jail for murdering someone, and he was not scared of anyone”.

Then, on June 17, he grew upset and angry when he saw that she was not using clothes pegs to hang laundry up along the common corridor. He then kicked her once on her back, but she kept silent and continued doing the task.

Later that morning, she continued with her household chores by mopping the living room floor. He then hit her on the back of her head and back, causing her to fall.

She continued to mop the floor and did not retaliate.

Soon after, she went to the toilet to wash and dry the mop. He stood at the doorway to watch her, when some water splashed onto his face.

Angered, he told her he could similarly splash dirty water at her, then snatched the mop away and thrust the mop head at her face. It hit her below her left eye, causing her to back up to the toilet wall.

She ran away from the flat that same morning and went to her former employer’s home. The ex-employer then made a police report.

She later told an attending officer that she was too afraid to return home.

When she was taken to Alexandra Hospital, doctors found that she had sustained a bruise over her eye and there was tenderness where S-Roslee had hit her. She was given three days of medical leave.

S-Roslee will begin serving his sentence on May 17 and remains out on bail.

The maximum penalty for causing hurt is up to three years’ jail and a fine of up to S$5,000. Employers of foreign domestic workers, or those in their household, are liable to two times the punishment — resulting in up to six years’ jail and a fine of up to S$10,000.

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, we reported that the maximum penalty for causing hurt is up to two years' jail, while employers convicted of causing hurt to their domestic workers are liable to one-and-a-half times the punishment. These penalties were increased following amendments to the Penal Code, and apply to offences committed from January 2020 onwards. We are sorry for the error.