A married Singaporean man who threatened his domestic helper with a knife after she rejected his romantic advances was sentenced to 40 days in jail on 16 June.
The 37-year-old man, Muhammad Khairulnaim Rosli, lived in a Bukit Batok flat with his wife and two children when the incident occurred.
On 10 Sept 2023, the domestic helper began working for the family.
Just three months into her employment in Dec 2023, Khairulnaim told the helper that he had fallen in love with her.
The helper, feeling uncomfortable and disturbed, rejected his love and blocked him on WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok, according to The Straits Times (ST).
Source: doidam10 on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Khairulnaim also confessed his love for their helper to his wife, who then asked for a divorce on New Year’s Day 2024.
On 12 Jan 2024, the accused found the helper’s phone left unattended in the kitchen, still switched on.
He accessed her WhatsApp chat with her husband and attempted to take a photo of his phone number.
The helper caught him in the act and quickly snatched her phone back.
Source: bongkarngraphic on Canva, for illustration purposes only
She confronted him in the storeroom, but accidentally shoved the door forcefully. This angered Khairulnaim, who then kicked the door three times and questioned why she was angry.
Later in the evening, he woke up from a nap feeling angry that the victim had “destroyed his life”.
As such, Khairulnaim wanted to ruin the helper’s life in return by falsely telling her husband that she had a boyfriend in Pakistan.
At around 6pm, the accused grabbed a kitchen knife, pointed it at the victim, and threatened to kill her. He then went into his bedroom.
Source: Amr Taha on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only
When Khairulnaim’s wife returned minutes later, the helper fled, fearing for her safety.
A member of the public found her crying in the void deck and called the police, who arrested Khairulnaim later that day.
The prosecutor charged him with one count of criminal intimidation.
Representing himself in court on 16 June, Khairulnaim disputed the charge, claiming he had only threatened to kill the victim verbally and picked up the knife after the threat.
Furthermore, he denied pointing the knife at her.
Khairulnaim later admitted to the prosecution’s version of events and pleaded guilty to criminal intimidation.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ho argued that Khairulnaim was in a position of authority and had used a weapon to intimidate the helper.
However, she noted that the threat was not prolonged, the victim was unharmed, and he was a first-time offender.
As such, she sought a sentence of five-and-a-half to seven weeks’ imprisonment.
In mitigation, Khairulnaim claimed to be diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
Source: Google Maps
IED involves repeated, sudden bouts of aggressive and impulsive behaviours, too intense for the situation a hand.
He said the report was used to show remorse, as he is currently seeking treatment for it.
Ultimately, the judge sentenced him to 40 days in jail.
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Featured image by MS News.