Three years' jail for maid who pushed 92-year-old woman, leaving her bedridden

A domestic helper who pushed a 92-year-old woman on the chest, causing her to fall and hit her head, was yesterday sentenced to three years' jail for causing grievous hurt.

The victim, Madam Wong Yong, was left bedridden until her death.

The court heard that Sandar Aye, 33, repeatedly denied pushing the victim after she was arrested. But she was caught doing so on closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage.

The incident occurred on Sept 5 last year, just over three weeks after the Myanmar national was hired to care for the elderly woman who had mild dementia. Only the two women were living in the flat.

At about 8pm that day, the pair got into an argument, which led to the maid pushing the victim on the chest forcefully, causing her to hit her head against the wall while falling onto the floor.

After walking away momentarily, Sandar Aye returned and pulled Madam Wong up from the floor by "yanking the victim's left arm", said Deputy Public Prosecutor Phoebe Tan.

While the elderly woman was sitting in an upright position, Sandar Aye grabbed her forearms and spoke close to her face.

The elderly woman reacted by struggling, grabbing the maid's forearms and slapping her on the face several times.

Following the incident, the maid called Madam Wong's son and told him his mother had fallen. He arrived two hours later, but Madam Wong was sleeping in her bedroom and he did not want to wake her.

He asked Sandar Aye how his mother had hurt herself and the maid claimed the old woman had fallen backwards in the living room.

The next morning, Madam Wong's son returned and found his mother was unable to move her head and legs and was in pain.

She was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she was diagnosed with several fractures, including in her pelvis and spine, which left her bedridden.

The cause of Madam Wong's injuries surfaced when her daughter reviewed the CCTV footage from the camera in the flat.

Madam Wong was discharged to a nursing home on Oct 9 and died on Jan 2 from unrelated causes.