Maid gets 2 weeks' jail for hurting baby

Awakened by the cries of her employer's daughter, she picked the child up to pacify her.

When Filipino maid Valencia Gemalyn Garma, 24, wanted to reposition the seven-month-old baby while carrying her, she pulled the girl's right hand forcefully. This caused the child to suffer a fracture on the right arm near her elbow.

Garma was jailed for two weeks yesterday after pleading guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt by performing a negligent act.

She committed the offence in a Toa Payoh flat on Feb 21. The baby cannot be named due to a gag order.

BABY'S CRIES

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Fong Jing Heng said that Garma had been asleep for only 15 minutes when the baby's cries woke her up at around 1.30am.

He said: "The accused suspected that she might have hurt the victim when she pulled victim's hand as the victim did not stop crying."

The baby's cries woke her 33-year-old mother, who went to her room and took her from the maid.

She suspected her baby was in pain when she did not stop crying.

She found out about the injury after taking her to KK Women's and Children's Hospital later that day.

DPP Fong said Garma had admitted to being forceful with the baby as "she was agitated and tired" and did not tell her employer about the injury because she was scared.

In mitigation, Garma, who did not have a lawyer, said she was sorry for accidentally hurting the girl.

It was her first time working as a maid and she had been with her employer for seven months.

For causing grievous hurt by performing a negligent act, she could have been jailed up to six months and fined up to $2,500.

ashaffiq@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 01, 2015.
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