• Aye Aye Than was engaged to look after a man in his 70s
• The man had suffered from multiple strokes and needed assistance with daily tasks 
• Aye Aye Than was caught on camera abusing the man

SINGAPORE — She was hired to look after a bedridden man, but about a year later, the domestic worker was caught on camera hitting him on the back of the head and spitting at him while she was tube-feeding him.

On Thursday (June 3), Aye Aye Than, 26, who is from Myanmar, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a vulnerable person, and was jailed for 10 weeks.

Three other charges related to using criminal force against a vulnerable person were taken into consideration for her sentence, which was backdated to when she was remanded on May 6.  

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Jotham Tay said that Aye Aye Than was engaged last January to help look after the victim, Mr Quek Hong Hock, who is 72 years old this year. 

Her duties included feeding Mr Quek with a tube five times a day, removing his phlegm by tube and machine when needed, changing his diapers and cleaning him, and transferring him between the bed and a wheelchair. 

DPP Tay said that Mr Quek had suffered from multiple strokes, which caused him to lose strength in his lower body and left him bedridden.  

He added that while Mr Quek was able to make simple movements with his upper body, he still lacked the strength to engage in more strenuous tasks such as gripping onto things or supporting his own weight.

Aside from needing mobility assistance, Mr Quek needed to be intubated and fed a liquid diet as a doctor had warned that he could choke easily on food.

The act of speaking would also cause pain to the man, DPP Tay said.

Aye Aye Than had been trained by staff members at the Ren Ci Community Hospital, where Mr Quek was undergoing rehabilitation, to perform her duties.

Aside from his wife, who had hired the worker, Mr Quek was also living with his daughter at the time of the abuse, which was caught on video on Feb 5 this year and played in court on Thursday as evidence.

The video evidence consisted of four clips, with timestamps at around 8.30am for two clips, while the remaining two were recorded at around 4.20pm and 6pm.

All four clips showed the same room where Mr Quek was lying in bed. 

One of the clips showed Aye Aye Than feeding Mr Quek with his tube before she slaps him on the arm, while another shows her saying something to him before she spits at him. 

In yet another clip, the woman is seen roughly pulling Mr Quek up from bed as she moves him to a wheelchair. She then hits him on the back of the head with audible force. 

In all these instances, Mr Quek was not seen defending himself or saying anything, though he did appear distressed.  

When asked by District Judge Luke Tan if she disputed what was shown on video, Aye Aye Than said through a Burmese interpreter that she did not.

In meting out the sentence sought by the prosecution, the judge said that the case involved a vulnerable person who was not only bedridden, but had difficulties in communication.

“In short, he has no way to defend himself against the offences committed against him... by a person engaged as his caregiver,” he said.

Aye Aye Than, who was not represented by a lawyer and appeared in court via video, pleaded for leniency and said that she was sorry for her actions.

She added that she was the sole breadwinner for parents, whom she described as “old”, and that she wanted to return home to them in Myanmar as soon as she could.

When District Judge Tan asked how old her parents are, she replied that her mother is 50 and her father, 48.

The judge noted that they are much younger than Mr Quek, and said that if she is sincere in wanting to take care of them, she needs to reflect on what she had done.

Anyone found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt is liable to a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

As for cases involving a vulnerable victim, the penalties could have been doubled.