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Ng Bee Lan — the 43-year-old Singaporean mother of two who was on trial for physically abusing her Filipino helper — was diagnosed by Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH) as having an “emotionally unstable personality disorder and recurring depression”, reports Elena Chong in The Straits Times.
No jail time, treatment of mental condition recommended
The report noted: “The maximum punishment for voluntarily causing hurt to a domestic helper is three years’ jail and a SGD$7,500 (roughly PHP250,027) fine.”
However, with the diagnosis, Ng escapes jail time and has been ordered instead “to undergo treatment for a period of nine months for her mental condition.” It was stated that “her mental disorder likely contributed to her offenses.”
Ng’s lawyer, S. S. Dhillon made a plea for leniency, pointing out that Ng “has a history of harming herself since the age of 19.”
Ng has reportedly paid the victim SGD$7,650 (roughly PHP254,751) for the salary owed to her.
What happened?
The report recalled that Ng’s abuse of her Filipino household helper, Jinky Berondo Cueva, then 32, seemed to have started in Aug 2012. At that time, Ng hit Cueva in the head with an aluminium water bottle “for not preparing Milo for her two daughters, then aged five and three, quickly enough.” Cueva’s head bled.
Then, three months after the “Milo incident,” Ng used a plastic ruler to repeatedly hit the victim’s right palm and forehead after getting angry over household issues. Cueva had suffered cuts on the forehead, but she was not given a chance to seek medical treatment.
On Nov 18, 2012, Ng allegedly “got angry after Cueva purportedly failed to complete her tasks on time and also for damaging a pair of scissors.” In this instance, Ng punched Cueva in the face multiple times.
Escape
Finally, on Nov 20, 2012, Cueva, along with another helper from Indonesia, escape from Ng’s home. They sought help from the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home). The case was reported to the Ministry of Manpower the following day. It’s worth noting that “two other charges of maid abuse were taken into consideration during Ng’s sentencing.”
Photo: MorgueFile
