34 year-old permanent resident May Thu San Kyaw Nyein was slapped with a $12,500 fine on Monday after she was convicted of abusing her maid, who is a fellow Myanmar national, and forcing her to perform humiliating acts on camera.
Barely a week into the 25 year-old maid's employment, May began abusing the poor woman after accusing her of not performing her job satisfactorily. May first accused the maid of not washing a prayer vase and milk bottle properly, and punished her by ordering her to do 80 squats.
The abuse escalated and May slapped the maid's head and pulled her hair at her home in Tanglin Road. She would film her maid on CCTV and later show her footage of things she had apparently done wrong.
On one occasion she told the victim to pull down her shorts and scratch her groin - then threatened to upload the footage online if she went to police.
The distressed maid eventually complied. The cip, which showed Nyein laughing and clapping her hands, was never uploaded.
Nyein was fined a total of $12,500 after admitting three out of five charges.
Her lawyer S. S. Dhillon said she had been suffering from major depression and that a psychiatrist had said that there was a causal link between her mental condition and the offences she committed.
Nyein could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined up to $7,500 for causing hurt. For using criminal force, she could have been jailed for up to three months and/or fined up to $1,500; and for criminal intimidation, up to two years and/or fined.
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