Domestic helper jailed 11 weeks for abusing elderly woman with dementia

Maria Inggrid Seran was sentenced to 11 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person.

ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Published Sep 04, 2026, 07:25 PM

Updated Sep 04, 2026, 07:25 PM

A domestic helper was jailed for 11 weeks after abusing a 69-year-old woman with dementia in her care, with the abuse caught on CCTV.

The helper admitted to slapping, pinching, and twisting the victim's finger.

The victim was fully dependent on the helper and unable to report abuse due to her condition.

SINGAPORE – A helper who was hired to take care of a 69-year-old woman ended up abusing her on several occasions.

The abuse came to light after her actions were caught on CCTV in the elderly woman’s room.

Maria Inggrid Seran, 34, was sentenced to 11 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person.

Court records showed that Seran was hired to take care of the victim, who suffered from dementia, hypertension, diabetes and other ailments, in March 2023.

Sometime in November 2025, the victim lost the ability to care for and feed herself, and relied on Seran to help her with her daily activities.

On the morning of April 20, 2026, Seran got frustrated when the older woman lost her temper. Seran then slapped her in the face twice.

She also slapped the victim’s head, pulled the victim’s leg and twisted the victim’s finger.

On the pretext of using a piece of tissue to wipe the woman’s nose, Seran also pinched her nose.

Her abuse was captured on the CCTV installed in the flat by the victim’s children.

At about 7.30pm, the victim’s son called the police, saying that his mother had been abused. Seran was arrested that day.

Seran later admitted that it was not the first time she had assaulted the victim, and that she had previously done so to stop her from nagging.

“The accused claimed that the assaults on the victim would make the victim keep quiet as she (would) be afraid,” Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Kai told the court.

The elderly woman did not suffer any injuries from the assaults.

The DPP sought a sentence of between 11 and 13 weeks’ jail for Seran, noting that the victim was entirely dependent on her for help with her daily living.

She was also unable to protect herself or report the abuse due to her dementia.

In mitigation, Seran asked the judge for a lighter sentence.

For voluntarily causing hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.

If the victim is a vulnerable person, an offender may be given up to twice the maximum punishment.

Causing hurt/Grievous hurt

玛丽亚·英格丽德·塞兰承认一项故意伤害弱势群体的罪名，被判处 11 周监禁。

《海峡时报》摄影：KELVIN CHNG

发布于 2026 年 9 月 4 日 下午 7:25

更新于2026年9月4日晚上7:25

一名家政女佣因虐待她照顾的一名患有痴呆症的 69 岁老妇而被判入狱 11 周，虐待过程被监控录像拍下。

帮手承认曾掌掴、掐捏和扭伤受害者的手指。

受害者完全依赖于帮助者，并且由于自身状况无法举报虐待行为。

新加坡——一名受雇照顾一位69岁老妇的佣人，最终多次虐待了她。

她的虐待行为被监控录像拍到后，这起虐待事件才被曝光。

34 岁的 Maria Inggrid Seran 承认一项故意伤害弱势群体的罪名，被判处 11 周监禁。

法庭记录显示，塞兰于 2023 年 3 月受雇照顾受害者，该受害者患有痴呆症、高血压、糖尿病和其他疾病。

2025 年 11 月的某个时候，受害者失去了照顾自己和进食的能力，依靠 Seran 帮助她进行日常活动。

2026年4月20日上午，塞兰因年长女性发脾气而感到恼火，于是打了她两个耳光。

她还打了受害者的头，拽了受害者的腿，扭了受害者的手指。

塞兰以用纸巾擦女人鼻子为借口，还捏了她的鼻子。

受害者的孩子们在公寓里安装的监控摄像头拍下了她虐待受害者的画面。

晚上7点30分左右，受害者的儿子打电话报警，称他的母亲遭到虐待。塞兰当天就被逮捕了。

塞兰后来承认，这并非她第一次殴打受害者，她之前也曾这样做过，目的是阻止受害者唠叨。

副检察官吴俊凯告诉法庭：“被告声称，对受害者的袭击会让受害者因为害怕而保持沉默。”

这名老妇人在袭击中没有受伤。

检方要求判处塞兰 11 至 13 周监禁，并指出受害者在日常生活中完全依赖她。

由于患有痴呆症，她也无法保护自己或举报虐待行为。

塞兰请求法官从轻发落。

故意伤人罪的最高刑罚为三年监禁、5000美元罚款，或两者并罚。

如果受害者是弱势群体，犯罪者可能被判处最高刑罚的两倍。

造成伤害/严重伤害