Maid gets 8 weeks’ jail for pushing 94 y/o employer down while removing his walking stick, causing head injury in fall

Summary

• Indonesian helper, Sulastri Wulandari, was jailed for eight weeks after her 94-year-old employer fell and suffered a head injury during a struggle.

• The 31-year-old had pushed the elderly man while trying to take away his walking stick.

• The victim suffered a 2cm scalp wound and bleeding around the brain, requiring four days of hospital treatment.

SINGAPORE: A 31-year-old Indonesian domestic worker has been jailed for eight weeks after a struggle with her elderly employer ended with him falling and hitting his head.

Sulastri Wulandari pleaded guilty to causing hurt by a rash act against a vulnerable person.

The incident happened late at night on Feb 21. Sulastri was in her bedroom when her 94-year-old employer knocked on her door at about 10:40 p.m.

He wanted her to take him out for food. She told him he had already eaten before slamming the door. The elderly man then picked up his walking stick and struck her bedroom door repeatedly for about 10 seconds.

When Sulastri opened the door and saw him with the stick, she lost her temper, further escalating the incident, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported on Aug 14.

The elderly man suffered a 2 cm cut on his scalp and bleeding between his brain

Sulastri grabbed the elderly man’s walking stick and tried to pull it away from him. She pushed him while also trying to free his hands from the stick.

The struggle lasted about 20 seconds. The elderly man eventually lost his balance and fell backwards. The back of his head struck a wall, causing bleeding.

Sulastri immediately helped him and later told his nephew about the fall at around 11:20 p.m. The incident was captured on CCTV.

The elderly man was taken to hospital, where doctors found a 2 cm cut on his scalp and bleeding between his brain and its outer covering. He stayed in hospital from Feb 22 to Feb 25.

Court weighs the victim’s vulnerability and the helper’s guilty plea

Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia said the victim was frail because of his age and physical condition.

The prosecution also pointed to Sulastri’s role as his caregiver. She helped him with daily activities, and the pair were the only people living in the flat.

The prosecution sought at least nine weeks’ jail, citing the harm suffered by the elderly man. It also said Sulastri had breached the trust placed in her as his caregiver.

Sulastri’s early guilty plea and cooperation with authorities were taken into account. She was unrepresented in court. She also apologised for what happened and asked for leniency.

For causing hurt through a rash act, she could have been jailed for up to one year, fined up to S$5,000, or both. The maximum penalty could be doubled because the victim was considered vulnerable.

The struggle over the walking stick ended with a serious fall

The case shows how a short moment of anger can have serious consequences, especially when an elderly person is involved.

The elderly man’s repeated knocking and striking of the door clearly upset Sulastri. But once the argument turned physical, the risks became much higher.

Caregiving can involve frustration, tiredness and difficult moments. Those pressures don't excuse physical force, but they make calm ways of handling conflict important.

The safer choice in a situation like this is to step away, seek help from a family member, or call for assistance when needed.

A walking stick should help someone stay on their feet, not send them to the hospital instead.

Read more: Maid, 53, gets life imprisonment for murdering Singapore employer, 73, who suspected her of stealing