Heng Thiam Soon, 69, was sentenced to two weeks jail on September 11 for molesting a maid that his wife had hired to help him with his mobility problems after he suffered a stroke.
Heng appears in court in a wheelchair to plead guilty to one charge of outrage of modesty, two more similar charges were taken into consideration.
The court heard that Heng has molested the victim, his 23-year-old (then) maid from Myanmar, by stroking her buttocks on three occasions between May and July last year.
She started working for him in April last year and was tasked with taking care of him, sleeping in the same bedroom as Heng and she often communicated with the couple in basic English.
Heng molested her shortly after she was hired.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong asked for 3 weeks jail, explaining that domestic workers depend on their employer’s good faith, saying: “It is critical that the law steps in to protect helpers from being abused by employers, who are the very people who should be taking care of them.”
Mr Wilbur Lua, Heng’s lawyer, asked for a fine of S$4,000 instead, he argued that his client was “in a state of unhappiness and depressioin over his situation (ailing health) at the time,” and that “in that state, he made these inappropriate actions towards the helper, which he now regrets and he is remorseful now. (sic)”
Lua also added that Heng is living in a nursing home now and is under constant supervision, arguing that :there is little rehabilitative point to imprisoning him.”
Heng could have been jailed for up to 2 years, fined, caned or any combination of the three; althought he cannot be caned as he is above 50-years-old.