3 years’ jail for helper who took obscene videos of kids under her care and sent them to husband

SINGAPORE – A domestic helper has been sentenced to three years’ jail after taking obscene videos and photos of three young siblings under her care and sending most of them to her husband.

The materials she sent featured a one-year-old boy and his four-year-old non-verbal brother who has autism. She committed the offence to show her husband how “mischievous” she found them to be.

The 29-year-old Indonesian woman also punched the older boy’s head multiple times, sprayed water directly in his younger brother’s face, and took obscene videos of their seven-year-old sister.

Before handing down the sentence on Oct 30, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said that the case involved a “profound betrayal of trust”.

She also noted that the four-year-old victim was unable to talk about the acts of abuse, and was wholly dependent on the offender.

The offender, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identities of the children, had pleaded guilty to two counts of ill-treating a child, and one count electronically transmitting obscene materials to her husband in Indonesia.

Six other charges were considered during her sentencing.

The offences took place in early 2026, shortly after the three children’s father employed the helper in January.

Between February and March, she used WhatsApp to send a total of four photos and videos of the boys to her husband, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamed Riasudeen.

In early February, she took the four year-old boy to a bathroom in the family’s flat and recorded a 33-second video of her repeatedly punching his head.

When the wailing boy used his hands to cover his head, she removed them and continued raining blows on him.

In March, the woman also forcefully kicked his head, causing him to stumble and cry.

The DPP said that committed these offences as she was feeling tired and frustrated caring for him.

The younger boy was also subjected to her abuse.

On separate occasions in February, she squeezed his cheeks and pinched his nose until he cried, and sprayed water into his face when bathing him.

Her offences were discovered by the children’s father after she claimed to be unwell, but paramedics called to attend to her found that her vital signs were normal.

Suspecting her of malingering, the father checked her phone and found the materials involving his children.

He alerted the police, and officers arrested her on March 14.

Lawyer Ariffin Sha, who was assigned to the case under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, told the court that the woman had asked for a transfer two times.

An Institute of Mental Health report also stated that she had been feeling stressed at the time.

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