Couple guilty of assaulting maid, who fled through window
A woman slapped and punched her domestic helper who was on her first day of work.
She tormented Ms Amandeep Kaur for about two months, with her husband joining in the abuse later.
The maid finally fled through a window of the couple's fourth-storey flat in Rivervale Crescent, Sengkang.
It was alleged that Farha Tehseen and her husband Mohammad Tasleem "lashed out" at Ms Kaur, an Indian national who was then 27, as they saw her as a "poor performer" who "did not meet their standards".
Farha repeatedly assaulted Ms Kaur in November and December 2016.
She also threatened to beat the maid with a stick.
Tasleem punched and kicked the maid on two separate occasions in December, the court heard.
Yesterday, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan found Farha, 39, guilty of nine counts of assault and one count of criminal intimidation after a trial.
He also convicted Tasleem, 41, of two assault charges. Both offenders are Singapore permanent residents.
In his submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Houston Johannus said Ms Kaur started working for the couple, who have two young sons, on Nov 9, 2016.
During the trial, Ms Kaur testified that on her first day of work, Farha slapped her as she was making flatbread in the kitchen. She also said Farha later punched her right eye.
The court also heard that Ms Kaur initially had a good relationship with Tasleem and that he was kind to her. But that soured over time.
Farha's abuse included assaulting Ms Kaur with objects such as a broomstick, a shower head, a rolling pin and a pair of tongs.
KICKED
On Dec 31, 2016, Farha kicked the maid's lower back twice before she grabbed her hair and pulled her out of a room.
The DPP said: "She then told Amandeep that they were going to take their children to the park, and to complete the chores in five minutes, such as ironing the bed sheets.
"If not, she would beat her with (a stick) and throw her out of the window. If people were to ask what happened, she would tell them, 'this girl's mental state of mind was not good'."
The couple and their children left the flat soon after, locking the front door behind them.
The DPP said "in a moment of utter terror and desperation", Ms Kaur, who did not have the house keys, climbed out of the living room window and perched herself "dangerously" on a ledge.
A foreign worker, Mr Mani Manoharan, who was doing some painting works in the estate, spotted the maid and rescued her using a gondola.
Farha and Tasleem are expected to be sentenced on Aug 21.
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