SINGAPORE: A domestic helper abused a 90-year-old woman she was supposed to care for, including slapping her face and hitting her with a diaper.
Some of the mistreatment occurred while the victim, who has moderate vascular dementia, was partially unclothed, as her helper, Nwe Nwe San, attempted to help her put on a diaper.
Nwe Nwe San, a 49-year-old Myanmar national, was jailed for 52 weeks on Monday (Jan 12).
She pleaded guilty through an interpreter to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person.
Her abuse was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which was played in court. At times, the frail victim could be seen raising her hands to defend herself against Nwe Nwe San, who stood before her.
In addition to dementia, the victim is minimally communicative, requires assistance to move around and wears a diaper.
Nwe Nwe San was engaged by the victim’s 68-year-old son in 2017 to care for his mother.
He discovered the abuse when he randomly checked CCTV footage while visiting his mother on Jul 9, 2025.
When the victim was taken to hospital for a urinary infection on Jul 30, 2025, doctors informed her son that she had bruises on her body.
She was also found to have several rib fractures, although doctors could not pinpoint when they occurred. The son reviewed CCTV footage again and lodged a police report on Aug 2, 2025.
On Jul 16, 2025, Nwe Nwe San kicked the victim’s knee, prodded her head twice, then grabbed her by the shirt and pushed her onto a sofa, according to court documents.
At various points, she grabbed the victim’s hair, slapped her face at least two times and struck her arm with a diaper.
On Jul 28, 2025, while attempting to put a diaper on the victim, the helper grabbed the victim’s right leg and pushed it towards her while the elderly woman was naked from the waist down.
Nwe Nwe San grabbed the victim by her shirt, swung her around several times and repeatedly pushed her onto the sofa. The mistreatment caused the victim to hit her head on the sofa. She also inserted her finger into the victim’s mouth.
At one point, the victim gestured towards the toilet but was ignored. She then pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture towards Nwe Nwe San.
According to court documents, Nwe Nwe San admitted to manhandling the victim as she was frustrated at having to care for the woman on her own.
The victim’s son checked in every weekend. After learning about the helper’s frustrations, he arranged for a part-time helper to assist her.
The prosecution sought 13 to 15 months’ jail, describing the victim as a "highly vulnerable nonagenarian".
"We would also like to highlight that while the doctor could not pinpoint exactly when the fractures were sustained, it is clear that the nature of the abuse likely resulted in the fractures," Deputy Public Prosecutor Caleb Looi said.
Nwe Nwe San, who was unrepresented, told the court that she had committed the acts in an attempt to bring the victim's condition to her family’s attention. This was dismissed by Mr Looi as an afterthought.
He noted that there were better ways to raise concerns, and that the victim’s son had in fact arranged for part-time help.
District Judge Lorraine Ho said that while caring for an ailing senior can be challenging, abusing the victim was not a way to resolve issues, manage frustration or gain the family’s attention.
It was not for the accused to take matters into her own hands by deliberately hurting someone, Judge Ho added.
For voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person, Nwe Nwe San could have been jailed for up to six years, fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,800), or both.
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Some of the mistreatment occurred while the victim, who has moderate vascular dementia, was partially unclothed, as her helper, Nwe Nwe San, attempted to help her put on a diaper.
Nwe Nwe San, a 49-year-old Myanmar national, was jailed for 52 weeks on Monday (Jan 12).
She pleaded guilty through an interpreter to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person.
Her abuse was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which was played in court. At times, the frail victim could be seen raising her hands to defend herself against Nwe Nwe San, who stood before her.
In addition to dementia, the victim is minimally communicative, requires assistance to move around and wears a diaper.
Nwe Nwe San was engaged by the victim’s 68-year-old son in 2017 to care for his mother.
He discovered the abuse when he randomly checked CCTV footage while visiting his mother on Jul 9, 2025.
When the victim was taken to hospital for a urinary infection on Jul 30, 2025, doctors informed her son that she had bruises on her body.
She was also found to have several rib fractures, although doctors could not pinpoint when they occurred. The son reviewed CCTV footage again and lodged a police report on Aug 2, 2025.
ACTS OF ABUSE
On Jul 16, 2025, Nwe Nwe San kicked the victim’s knee, prodded her head twice, then grabbed her by the shirt and pushed her onto a sofa, according to court documents.
At various points, she grabbed the victim’s hair, slapped her face at least two times and struck her arm with a diaper.
On Jul 28, 2025, while attempting to put a diaper on the victim, the helper grabbed the victim’s right leg and pushed it towards her while the elderly woman was naked from the waist down.
Nwe Nwe San grabbed the victim by her shirt, swung her around several times and repeatedly pushed her onto the sofa. The mistreatment caused the victim to hit her head on the sofa. She also inserted her finger into the victim’s mouth.
At one point, the victim gestured towards the toilet but was ignored. She then pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture towards Nwe Nwe San.
According to court documents, Nwe Nwe San admitted to manhandling the victim as she was frustrated at having to care for the woman on her own.
The victim’s son checked in every weekend. After learning about the helper’s frustrations, he arranged for a part-time helper to assist her.
The prosecution sought 13 to 15 months’ jail, describing the victim as a "highly vulnerable nonagenarian".
"We would also like to highlight that while the doctor could not pinpoint exactly when the fractures were sustained, it is clear that the nature of the abuse likely resulted in the fractures," Deputy Public Prosecutor Caleb Looi said.
Nwe Nwe San, who was unrepresented, told the court that she had committed the acts in an attempt to bring the victim's condition to her family’s attention. This was dismissed by Mr Looi as an afterthought.
He noted that there were better ways to raise concerns, and that the victim’s son had in fact arranged for part-time help.
District Judge Lorraine Ho said that while caring for an ailing senior can be challenging, abusing the victim was not a way to resolve issues, manage frustration or gain the family’s attention.
It was not for the accused to take matters into her own hands by deliberately hurting someone, Judge Ho added.
For voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person, Nwe Nwe San could have been jailed for up to six years, fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,800), or both.
Continue reading...