40-year-old Indonesian maid Hidayah, who only goes by one name, was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment on 14 February after pleading guilty to one count of voyeurism and one count of distributing an intimate image of her victim.

She had taken a picture of herself with a vulnerable elderly man wearing nothing on 18 April 2022 and sent it to her husband on Whatsapp.

She attached a message in Javanese along with the photo, saying “salary 8 million rupiah but my job is so hard, need to bathe old people.”

She then did the same thing about 4 days later and sent the photo to a friend.

The 79-year-old elderly victim, who has Parkinson’s disease and needs help performing his daily activities such as eating and showering, cannot be named due to a court order protecting his identity.

What happened?

The victim’s son-in-law had hired Hidayah through a maid agency back in February 2022, as well as giving her a mobile phone.

On 18 April 2022 at about 10.30am, Hidayah was bathing the elderly man in the latter’s home in Punggol when she got a call from her husband asking her what she was doing.

The maid then took a picture of herself and the elderly man, who was wearing nothing at the time, with her mobile phone and sent it to her husband.

About 4 days later, she took another similar photo and sent it to a friend via Facebook Messenger.

The victim’s son-in-law, who hired the maid, took her back to her agency on 6 May 2022, as well as taking back the mobile phone that he gave her.

It was not disclosed why he did so.

He went through the phone and saw the incriminating photos that the maid had taken of his father-in-law, and uncovered the Whatsapp chats where the maid had sent the photos to her husband and sister-in-law.

He then alerted the police to the incident on 8 May 2022.

A 21-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in a case of theft of a motor vehicle, he had allegedly stolen a motorcycle at Yishun.

The Singapore Police Force said that they received a report on 11 February, of a motorcycle that was allegedly stolen along Yishun Ring Road.

The alleged thief’s identity was established by police officers from Woodlands Police Division and the 21-year-old man was then arrested on 13 February.

He was identified and arrested with the help of images from police cameras and through follow up investigations by the police officers.

He was charged in court on 15 February with theft of motor vehicle, and if convicted, faces a jail term of up to 7 years as well as a fine.

Other cases of motorcycles being stolen

The Police have arrested a man and woman, both aged 20, for their suspected involvement in a case of theft of motor vehicle.

On 4 February 2023 at about 5am, the Police received a report of a motorcycle stolen in the vicinity of Woodlands Street 41.

Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identity of the duo and arrested them within seven hours of the report. The stolen motorcycle was also recovered. Police investigations are ongoing.

The offence of theft of motor vehicle with common intention under Section 379A read with Section 34 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.

The Police would like to advise all motor vehicle owners to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

1. Park in well-lit areas;
2. Install an anti-theft alarm system and ensure that it is well-maintained;
3. Remove cash cards and other valuables, such as laptops and mobile phones before leaving the vehicle; and
4. Remove the ignition key and lock the vehicle, whenever it is left unattended.

A company recently organised a dinner at a Bishan restaurant with 54 people attending, and almost half of them tested positive for covid after the event.

21 out of the 54 attendees got infected, including a waiter and a cook from the restaurant.

Speaking to 8world news, an unidentified employee of the company who attended said that he visited the unnamed restaurant in Bishan on 4 February with some of his ex-colleagues.

There were 54 people who attended the dinner, although they didn’t book out the place, and there were also other diners who were not part of the company going in and out of the restaurant.

The event started with about 3 to 4 tables of diners, but more and more other diners soon came in.

After the event, the organiser informed the group on 7 February that two of their colleagues had tested positive for covid and asked everyone else to get tested immediately.

The employees then did so and by that night, more than 10 of them has tested positive, and 21 in total had tested positive by the next day.

Most of them didn’t have severe symptoms, save for one who lost their sense of taste and another who had a persistent cough.

The organiser also found out from the restaurant that one of their cooks and waiters were also infected with the coronavirus, and the restaurant had to close the next day after the dinner, before resuming business on 14 February.

Residents residing in Bishan have reportedly been attacked by a murder of crows near Block 110 Bishan Street 12, with about 10 unwitting passers-by being attacked in under 20 minutes, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The crows near Block 110 have been very aggressive towards people in recent times and were seen pecking and swooping down on people who are passing by.

A resident who lives nearby said that the crows would come swooping down on anyone who passes them by and start attacking.

Attacking people for no reason

SMDN reported that there were a few crows perched ominously on a lamppost beside a walkway on 13 February, and got into action when a woman walked by, pecking at her head as she squatted down to defend herself.

When she tried to stand up and compose herself, the crow then attacked her again, biting and pulling on her hair.

Another young boy, who was approaching the lamppost where the crows were, hesitated walking past the lamppost because the crows were cawing at him.

Mustering enough courage, he tried to walk past the lamppost and the crows then swooped down and attacked him, but the kid managed to dodge the birds.

Residents concerned

The crow attacks have sparked concerns among the residents living in the area, who fear the crows will injure the elderly or children.

Some of the residents believe the crows are protecting their “territory, which is the area near the walkway where a crippled crow was found.

People who got too near to the crippled crow would be cawed at by the other crows and if you got too close, a few of the crows would swoop down and attack you.

Crows can remember faces and hold grudges

According to a guide by NParks, crows are able to remember human faces and also to make tools to gather food, and they may attack people if you accidentally offend them or if they see you as a threat.

The crows at Block 110 are likely to be protecting their territory, and the public is advised to call AVS at 1800-476-1600 if they encounter crows that are hostile.