Maid Jailed For Kicking 2-Year-Old Child Repeatedly, Abuse Caught On Camera

A 41-year-old Filipino housemaid was sentenced to 13 months in prison Thursday for kicking a toddler under her care multiple times.

The incidents took place last year at a home in Singapore. The woman, who has not been identified, pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating a child. Another similar charge was taken into consideration for the sentencing.

The maid had been caring for her employer's two young sons when the incidents took place. The maid apparently abused the kids regularly while their parents were away, media outlet The Straits Times reported.

The incidents came to light only after another housemaid who worked for a different family managed to record the abuse on her phone and sent them to the woman's employer. Authorities said the maid was caught on camera abusing one of the children on several occasions, the media outlet reported. The woman reportedly used a metal spoon to hit the victim on the mouth, and when the boy would open his mouth to cry, she would feed him.

A video taken on May 11 shows the abuser kicking the victim in the stomach twice while she was carrying his one-year-old brother. In another video, she was seen hitting the child repeatedly on the mouth with a metal spoon while feeding him oatmeal. In a third video, the housemaid was heard singing along to a song on her phone when the kids started fighting, according to the Malay Mail. The younger child started to cry when the 2-year-old took a toy away from him. The domestic worker then pinched the elder child’s ear and kicked him on the forehead.

The housemaid who recorded the video reportedly tried to stop the abuse, but failed. The videos of the abuse were not made public. It remains unclear if the domestic help was fined along with her jail time.

The victim was admitted to a hospital where he was found to have suffered several injuries, including scratches and bruises on his arms, legs and back.

Addressing the court through an interpreter, the maid said she was under stress when she attacked the kids. The domestic worker could have been jailed for up to eight years or fined up to S$8,000, or both for each count of ill-treating the child.