Maid jailed for abusing employer's 1-year-old son over four months

A maid was sentenced to two years and six months' jail on July 30 for repeatedly abusing her employer's one-year-old son, by hitting his head, slapping his face, pulling his hair and pinching his ear.

Nucom Loreta Talbo, 30, who has children of her own, told investigators that she had hit the victim as his crying had disrupted her sleep and she felt frustrated.

On July 16, the Filipina pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating the little boy. She had abused him on more than 20 occasions between March and July 2024.

In earlier proceedings, the court heard that Talbo was a seasoned domestic helper who had been employed in Singapore for the past five years.

She worked at the victim's household for 11 months, since September 2023, and shared a room with the victim.

On Dec 27, 2023, an infant-care teacher found injuries on the child's body.

When confronted, Talbo denied causing the injuries and court documents did not state if she had caused them.

Her acts of abuse came to light on July 23, 2024, when the boy's parents heard him crying.

The couple checked the footage of a CCTV camera installed in the room, and saw her ill-treating their child. Further review of earlier CCTV footage revealed additional incriminating acts.

Among her many acts of abuse, Talbo had used her fist to hit the child's head and slapped his face.

She had also pulled his hair and pinched his ear.

On July 16, Deputy Public Prosecutor Heershan Kaur said that the victim's parents confronted Talbo after they viewed the clips.

She denied hitting the victim despite being shown the CCTV footage.

The police were alerted before she was removed from the household and stayed in a temporary shelter pending investigations.

The child's father later reviewed the other recordings that showed Talbo ill-treating the victim between March and July 2024. He then shared the footage with the authorities.

However, as the device was faulty, he could not ascertain if she had abused the boy between September 2023 and March 2024.