Former police officer jailed for assaulting Muslim helper, calling her 'pig' and 'dog'
SINGAPORE — A former female police officer who called her Muslim domestic helper “pig” and “dog”, in addition to physically abusing her, was jailed for two weeks on Tuesday (18 February).
In addition to her jail term, Nazriah Md Isa will also have to compensate the maid with $1,160, otherwise she will have to serve another week in prison.
The 41-year-old had been a veteran officer of 21 years, before she resigned due to the charges she faced. She had held the Sergeant rank before she left the force.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to her 36-year-old Indonesian maid, who had to throw pieces of paper from her unit to the first floor to plead for help.
Insults and abuses
Nazriah, who was married to another police officer from the Singapore Police Force and had five children, employed the Muslim maid, who began working for her around 28 August 2018 with a monthly salary of $580.
When she became angry with the victim, she would shout at her, calling her names such as “pig”, “prostitute”, “dog”, “disaster”or “illegitimate”. She would insult the maid by telling her “your mother and father give birth to a dog” or “be a prostitute”.
At times she would scold the maid and told her to “just jump down from the upper floor” and “go to hell” if she could not work.
Just two weeks into the maid’s employment, Nazriah began her physical abuse. In early September 2018, as the victim helped Nazriah put away groceries, Nazriah became angry as the maid had not placed the items correctly.
The former police officer kicked the victim on her outer right calf and spat at her face.
A month later, on 7 October 2018, Nazriah again assaulted the maid.
At about 10pm, after the maid had served her employer a cup of water for her, Nazriah called her back into the room. She told the victim that there was an ant in the water and questioned the victim.
She took a wooden toy block from the coffee table and threw it at the victim, hitting the victim on her forehead, before continuing her scolding.
Paper pleas seen and alerted to police
A day after her last occasion of abuse under the hands of Nazriah, the maid threw pieces of paper to the first floor pleading for help in Bahasa Indonesia. Her pleas were seen by a woman known as Amitha who alerted another individual, a Ms Valerie.
Ms Valerie called the police hotline stating, “Apparently, a domestic helper, living in this unit has been abused verbally and physically beaten by the employer. It is not happening now but we still need police officers to go down and check if everything is okay.”
The victim was sent to the Centre for Domestic Employees and resided there from 8 October 2018 until her agent was able to match her to a new employer in June last year. She was also sent to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital on 9 October 2018. A medical report dated 31 October 2018 stated that the victim suffered a contusion on her left forehead.
For voluntarily causing hurt to a domestic helper under her employ, Nazriah could have been jailed up to three years and/or fined up to $7,500.
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