Couple jailed for abusing maid
For five months, the couple terrorised and abused their maid.
On one occasion, the husband hit the maid on her head with a shower head and fractured one of her fingers when she tried to shield herself.
His wife slapped, beat and elbowed the maid on eight occasions.
In October 2012, the maid could no longer take the abuse and escaped by prising open the main gate of the family's Bukit Timah condominium unit.
Yesterday, after a nine-day hearing, the employer, Lin Sin Jye, 40, a businessman, was sentenced to eight months' jail for one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
His wife, Ngoa Choi Yin, 49, had also claimed trial and was jailed 12 weeks in September 2014.
According to the prosecution's closing submissions, the maid, Ms Siti Nurbaya, 24, an Indonesian national then employed by Jstar Employment Agency, began working for the couple on May 12, 2012.
The abuse started about a week later, when Ngoa elbowed Ms Siti's upper right arm.
On seven other occasions between May and October 2012, Ngoa also slapped Ms Siti's cheek, pounded the maid's back using her hands before biting her fingers, and kicked her.
Ms Siti also testified that Lin had returned home one day in August 2012 and dragged her to the toilet before hitting her head with a shower head.
Ms Siti shielded herself using her hands and her finger was fractured in the process.
She fell to the ground and pleaded for him to stop by saying: "Stop, sir." But Lin continued hitting her, she said.
Unable to tolerate the abuse, Ms Siti escaped from the apartment on Oct 27 and went to a maid agency located on the lower floors of the building.
The staff at the agency called the police after Ms Siti told them what had happened.
A Jstar Employment Agency employee, Ms Norsila Baba, told the court that Ms Siti was initially very cheerful, helpful and excited to work for her new employers in May 2012.
When Ms Norsila saw her again in October, she said Ms Siti had injuries on her face, had lost weight and had appeared stressed and scared.
In September, after a six-day trial, Ngoa was jailed for 12 weeks for five counts of voluntarily causing hurt.
Lin's lawyer, Ms Alina Sim, said in mitigation that Ngoa returned to Malaysia and disappeared after her release. As a result, Lin flew his mother here from Taiwan to care for his seven-year-old son, who was diagnosed with autism. .
By the numbers 8 months
The number of months' jail that the maid's employer Lin Sin Jye was sentenced to yesterday, for hitting the maid on her head with a shower head. His wife Ngoa Choi Yin was jailed 12 weeks in September last year.
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