Singapore jails man for 13 months for molesting domestic helper while she was asleep

Seeing his domestic helper napping on the sofa, a 54-year-old man decided to molest her while she was in a defenceless position but was foiled when his victim woke up and caught him in the act of undoing her blouse.

Shocked at being found out, the man then begged his victim for forgiveness. To this, the domestic helper forgave him, though also stating that she would not forget what happened.

Several months later, the man’s wife and daughter found out when the incident came to light during an argument over the helper’s work performance. He then made a police report about what he had done.

While meting out the sentence, District Judge Elton Tan said that the victim had been in a vulnerable position as she was sleeping.

“The offence was also aggravated because it was done in the sanctity of her home, where she would have expected to feel secure,” he said.

The court heard that at about 3pm on October 26, 2021, the helper was napping on the sofa, but woke up when she felt someone touching her.

Upon opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was the man on top of her, with both of his hands on her blouse.

He was in the process of unbuttoning her shirt and his head was on her chest, the court heard.

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The prosecution said that the man later admitted during investigations that he had been tempted to touch the woman’s chest when he saw her sleeping on the sofa.

He had first used his hand to touch her forehead to see she was still asleep, only starting to molest her when she did not respond.

Upon waking up and seeing the man touching her inappropriately, the woman immediately pushed him away and kicked him in the stomach.

Shocked that he was caught in the act, the man quickly apologised to the victim and begged her for forgiveness.

After the helper forgave him, she realised that one of the buttons of her blouse had already been undone and her bra had been moved, exposing her left breast.

Before her nap, her blouse had been fully buttoned and her bra in the correct position, court documents stated.

The court heard that the man’s deeds came to light half a year later on April 22, 2022.

The pair had got into a dispute over the victim’s work performance, which got more heated. The man began shouting at the domestic helper, attracting the attention of his wife and daughter, according to court documents.

When the man’s wife intervened, the helper revealed that she had been molested by him previously.

To this, the man admitted to his wife and daughter and said he indeed touched their domestic helper’s chest while she was asleep.

Upon hearing this, the man’s wife agreed to the victim’s request to end her employment. The wife is the helper’s employer.

The man’s daughter also took the victim to the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore as her helper’s agency’s lodging was full.

The man also lodged a police report about his actions later that same day.

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Court documents stated that the victim had a good working relationship with the man and each member of his household, and had no disputes with anyone before the incident.

Appearing in court in a wheelchair, the man told the courts he was warded in Ng Teng Fong Hospital on August 24, and would thus need another two to three weeks to rehabilitate in hospital.

Taking into account the man’s medical condition, District Judge Tan ordered him to carry out his sentence three weeks later on September 26. He was also given an additional two months’ jail in lieu of caning.

For his actions, the man could have been jailed up to three years, fined and caned.