Do the maid horror stories never end? In the most recent case of maid abuse, a married Filipino maid was arrested for horrendously physically abusing her employer's nine-month-old baby.
Maid Horror Stories: She Tortured a Baby with a KNIFE
According to Channel NewsAsia, the Filipino maid – Leslie Ann Belmonte Dieza, 36, – arrived in Singapore in 2016.
She is reportedly married to a man who also works in Singapore. However, they had a rough relationship as Dieza was apparently involved in an affair with another man – Raymond.
On April 11, 2018, Dieza was at her Australian employer's condominium unit, looking after the baby who was around one year old. However, during this time, Dieza got into an argument with her lover, Raymond, on a video call.
In her fury, the woman decided to record herself abusing the small baby. She wanted to show this to Raymond as proof of what she was capable of when angry, say reports.
The events that occurred next are as horrifying as they are heartbreaking.
Reportedly, the baby was on the bed getting ready for a nap. It was then that Dieza put her mobile phone on the bed, with the camera aimed at the baby, and started to record.
In the 1 minute 34 second long video, the woman is seen holding down the baby's face into the mattress, smothering him with a pillow, and then shaking him. She also lifted the child by his hair, throwing his back down against a pillow.
The baby boy screamed in pain through it all.
But this was not all.
Later on the same day, Dieza was in the kitchen with the baby when she decided to record herself abusing him again – this time, with a knife.
She grabbed his arm and used the flat side of the knife to hit him on the buttocks. Again, the baby was howling in pain through the 35 second-long video.
Lover and Husband Get Video Clips
After recording, Dieza sent the two videos to Raymond. Disturbed at what he saw, Raymond asked his sister to get in touch with the maid's husband. The videos were sent to the husband, who later called the police, saying he thought his wife was not fit to look after a baby.
He said: "My wife Leslie Ann is working here as a domestic helper. She is taking care of a kid. With her state of mind, she is not in the right capacity to take care of a kid. I am worried for the safety of the kid and also worried of losing my job here because of her."
Dieza was arrested that same night, and the baby was taken to hospital for a check. He had a cut on one foot and two old wounds on his back.
Channel NewsAsia reports that "District Judge Jasvender Kaur sentenced Dieza to nine months' jail for two charges of ill-treating a child."
Fair Punishment?
Is nine months jail punishment enough for a woman who tortured a baby with a knife? This aside, the latest episode in a series of maid horror stories only highlights the intense need for careful screening of all domestic workers for mental health issues.
Yes, the government screens these workers. But you, as employers, also need to look out for red flags in your maid's behaviour too.
To learn more about these warning signs, please read this article: "8 warning signs it's time to let your helper go."
Source: Channel NewsAsia
