Foreign domestic worker jailed for slapping dementia-stricken elderly woman in her care

Maria Inggrid Seran’s 69-year-old victim was non-communicative and relied primarily on the maid for care.

The State Courts of Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic worker who slapped and hit a dementia-stricken woman under her care was sentenced to 11 weeks’ jail on Friday (Sep 4).

Maria Inggrid Seran had been taking care of the 69-year-old victim since March 2023. The 34-year-old Indonesian maid knew of the elderly woman’s medical conditions and was aware that she was vulnerable.

In November 2025, the victim lost the ability to care for and feed herself. She relied primarily on Seran, including to get on and off her bed, and into her wheelchair, the court heard.

The victim suffered from multiple medical conditions including Alzheimer’s dementia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, diverticulosis and hyperlipidaemia. She was also non-communicative and could not be interviewed for investigations.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Kai asked for 11 to 13 weeks’ jail for the domestic worker, noting that Seran’s crimes would have been difficult to detect if not for the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Seran also admitted that this was not the first time she had assaulted the victim, having previously done so to stop the woman’s nagging, the prosecution noted.

She claimed that this would make the victim keep quiet because she was afraid, the court heard.

In mitigation, Seran, who was unrepresented, asked for a lighter sentence through the court interpreter.

Delivering his sentence, District Judge Lim Wee Meng said he took the need for deterrence in domestic violence cases, the victim’s inability to care for herself and the harm caused to the victim into consideration.

On the morning of Apr 20, while trying to feed the woman breakfast, the domestic worker became angry after the victim became frustrated.

She slapped her twice on the face and once on her head. She then hit the woman’s hand, legs, feet and pinched her nose twice, the court heard.

Her actions were captured by CCTV in the house that had been installed by the woman’s children. That evening, h er son called the police after his brother sent him a video of Seran beating their mother, which led to the maid's arrest.

Medical checks did not reveal any injuries, but the victim suffered pain on her head, face, legs, hands and nose because of her caretaker's assault.

The punishment for voluntarily causing hurt is a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000 (US$3,945), or both. If the offender knew or should have known the victim was a vulnerable person, they may be sentenced to up to twice the maximum punishment.

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

玛丽亚·英格丽德·塞兰的受害者是一名 69 岁的老人，她不善言辞，主要依靠女佣照顾。

新加坡国家法院。（资料照片：CNA/Jeremy Long）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：一名外籍家庭佣工因掌掴和殴打她照顾的患有痴呆症的妇女，于周五（9月4日）被判处11周监禁。

玛丽亚·英格丽德·塞兰自 2023 年 3 月起就一直在照顾这位 69 岁的受害者。这位 34 岁的印尼女佣了解这位老妇人的健康状况，也知道她很脆弱。

2025年11月，受害者丧失了自理和进食的能力。法庭获悉，她主要依靠塞兰照顾，包括上下床和坐上轮椅。

受害者患有多种疾病，包括阿尔茨海默病、2型糖尿病、高血压、憩室病和高脂血症。她也无法与人交流，因此无法接受调查人员的询问。

副检察官吴俊凯要求判处这名家庭佣工 11 至 13 周监禁，并指出，如果没有闭路电视录像，塞兰的罪行很难被发现。

检方指出，塞兰还承认，这并非她第一次殴打受害者，此前她曾为了阻止该女子唠叨而殴打过她。

据法庭获悉，她声称这样做会让受害者因为害怕而保持沉默。

作为求情理由，没有律师代表的塞兰通过法庭翻译请求法官从轻发落。

地方法官林伟明在宣判时表示，他考虑到了家庭暴力案件的威慑必要性、受害者无力照顾自己以及对受害者造成的伤害。

4月20日早上，在给这名女子喂早餐时，由于受害者感到沮丧，这名家政工人生气了。

据法庭审理，她先是打了那名女子两个耳光，打了她一个头，然后又打了她的手、腿、脚，还捏了她的鼻子两次。

她的行为被家中监控摄像头拍了下来，摄像头是这名女子的孩子安装的。当晚，她的儿子在收到哥哥发来的塞兰殴打母亲的视频后报警，导致这名女佣被捕。

医疗检查未发现任何外伤，但受害者因护理人员的殴打而头部、面部、腿部、手部和鼻子疼痛。

故意伤害他人的处罚是最高三年监禁、最高5000新加坡元（约合3945美元）罚款，或两者并罚。如果犯罪者明知或应知受害者是弱势群体，则刑罚最高可达最高刑罚的两倍。

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。