A 42-year-old woman was sentenced to four weeks’ jail on March 6 for abusing her domestic helper on multiple occasions in 2023. The offender, Norwahidah Johari, is a Malaysian citizen and a Singapore permanent resident.
The victim, 33-year-old Indonesian national Putri Rizki Amelia, was employed by Norwahidah’s husband on March 13, 2023. However, just five months later, Norwahidah began physically and verbally abusing her. The helper was made to sleep in the kitchen from her second day of employment and was repeatedly insulted, with the employer calling her “poor” and “filthy.”
The first act of abuse occurred on August 9, 2023, when Norwahidah threw a basket filled with torn waste paper at Ms. Putri’s face. Over time, her aggression escalated—she swung a shoe at the victim, poured an entire bottle of soya sauce over her head, and threw a bowl of flour at her.
One incident happened late at night on September 28, 2023, when Norwahidah confronted Ms. Putri over a bottle of soya sauce that was left outside the fridge. The helper explained that the bottle was too big to fit in the refrigerator and that the employer herself usually left it on the table. This response angered Norwahidah, who poured half the bottle of soya sauce over Ms. Putri’s head. When the victim sarcastically challenged her to finish pouring the bottle, the employer emptied the remaining contents onto her.
On another occasion in September 2023, Norwahidah was having dinner when she asked the helper to remove the seeds from a bowl of chilli. When Ms. Putri handed her the prepared chilli, Norwahidah rejected it, claiming some seeds remained. Despite the helper washing it again, the employer was still unsatisfied. She became angry and threw the bowl of chilli directly at Ms. Putri’s face. The cut chillies got into the victim’s eyes, causing severe irritation.
The most violent incident happened in early October 2023. One day, Norwahidah returned home and noticed a strong urine smell coming from her couch. She blamed Ms. Putri for not following instructions to place a rubber mat on the couch before her child, who was wearing a diaper, rested on it. The helper explained that the baby’s diaper had overflowed earlier that day, causing the couch to get soiled.
Despite Ms. Putri washing the couch, Norwahidah was furious and said the furniture was “expensive” and that the helper “could not afford it.” She then grabbed the victim’s left ear and twisted it forcefully.
After enduring months of abuse, Ms. Putri finally filed a police report on October 9, 2023. She also revealed that Norwahidah had threatened to make her pay $2,000 if she reported the abuse to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Five additional abuse charges were considered in court during sentencing. Defence lawyer Noelle Teoh requested a three-week jail term, stating that Norwahidah regretted her actions and had acted out of character. However, the judge sentenced her to four weeks’ jail.
Her bail was set at $10,000, and she is expected to begin her sentence on March 24.
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