Woman Charged For Abusing Maid With Hot Iron, Damaging Her Eyesight By Punching

KEY POINTS

Ummi Ali was charged Wednesday in connection with the abuse of Sugiyem Radimah
The victim was allegedly abused between February and October 2020
The incident was reported on Oct.30, 2020
Ali is scheduled to appear in court on June 9

A woman in Singapore has been accused of repeatedly abusing her domestic help with a hot iron and punching her eyes, causing permanent damage to her sight.

Ummi Ali, 42, was charged Wednesday for allegedly assaulting Sugiyem Radimah, 49, from Indonesia, who worked as her domestic help. Ali reportedly abused Radimah on multiple occasions between February and October 2020.

She has been charged with two counts of voluntarily causing hurt, one of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means, and one of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, reported The Straits Times.

Ali has been accused of repeatedly pressing a heated iron onto the maid’s forearm and slapping her on her face and ears. She also allegedly punched the victim’s eyes with her fist and objects, including cloth hangers, which permanently damaged her eyesight.

Ali also faces 9 counts of offenses for failing to pay Radimah her salary for the period between January to September 2020.

The alleged abuse came to light on Oct.30, 2020, when Radimah reported the incident after returning to Indonesia. Radimah then went back to Singapore to assist with the investigations.

The court documents revealed that Ali had neglected to provide medical attention and treatment to Radimah on at least six separate occasions.

“Ali also failed to provide Radimah with timely and adequate medical attention after Radimah made multiple requests to Ali to see a doctor,” Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said Wednesday, reported Channel News Asia.

If found guilty, Ali faces a jail term of 12 months for each charge of failure to pay salary to her employee. She could also be jailed for up to 24 months on charges of ill-treatment by neglect. On top of it all, she will be barred from employing foreign domestic workers in the future, MOM said.

Meanwhile, Ali could also be jailed for up to 10 years and fined if convicted on charges of voluntarily causing grievous hurt. If convicted on charges of causing hurt by dangerous means, she faces a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.

Ali is scheduled to appear in court on June 9.