Woman and man face multiple charges over abuse of domestic helper in unrelated cases

SINGAPORE - Two people, each accused of abusing a domestic worker in unrelated cases, were handed multiple assault charges on Sept 29.

Tay Seok Kheng, 76, was handed 13 charges including 10 counts of assaulting her helper. She was also charged with harassment, using criminal force against the woman, and performing a rash act to endanger the latter’s safety.

Mohamad Azwan Sohaimi, 40, faces three charges.

According to court documents, Tay allegedly pinched the helper’s hand on Oct 27, 2024.

The two women were at a market in Ang Mo Kio on March 5, 2025, when Tay allegedly pinched her hand again. She is accused of committing a similar act on the helper the next day.

Tay was in a vehicle at a multi-storey carpark in Yishun Avenue 1 on March 8, 2025, when she allegedly performed a rash act by reversing it towards the woman.

She is also accused of abusing the helper with vulgar language, and assaulting the latter by pulling her hair and slapping her that day.

Tay was in a lift of a Yishun block of flats at around 8am on March 9 that year when she allegedly slapped the woman.

The two women were in a lift at the same block about four hours later when she purportedly used slippers to hit the domestic worker’s face.

Tay is said to have slapped her again at around 5.30pm that day.

She is accused of pinching the helper’s left wrist and slapping her on March 11, 2025.

Tay also allegedly used a walking stick to hit the woman’s head the next day.

She purportedly slapped the helper in a Yishun flat on March 16, 2025.

Her case will be mentioned again on Oct 28.

In an unrelated case, Azwan was handed three assault charges involving his helper.

He allegedly kicked her left hip twice in a Woodlands flat between January and March 2026.

Azwan was in the same unit on March 9 when he purportedly pushed the bottom of a mop against the woman’s head.

He is also accused of using his palm to strike her right shoulder, causing her to lose her balance and hit a wall.

He is said to have abused the helper again when they were in the flat three days later.

This time, Azwan allegedly slapped her head, kicked her left hip and used a 500ml plastic bottle to hit her head.

His case has been adjourned to Oct 27.

For each count of assaulting a domestic worker, an offender can be jailed for up to six years, fined up to $10,000 or both.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.