Many Singaporean families engage domestic helpers because they have elderly parents or young children who need help.
Sadly, some have taken advantage of their helpers by abusing them physically and even sexually.
A 76-year-old wheelchair-bound man has admitted to molesting his helper.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
He did this when she was asked to massage him.
The helper from Myanmar started work at her employer’s place on 4 May 2021, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The 38-year-old’s main tasks were to clean the house, wash clothes and cook meals.
Additionally, she had to massage 76-year-old Chen Shiwen twice daily on his arms and feet.
Source: Depositphotos
She would do this in his room, and the elderly man usually wore just shorts.
In the afternoon of 2 Jun 2021, Chen lay on his bed and asked the helper to massage him.
However, when she was massaging his right arm, he allegedly grabbed her hand and tried to hold it against his chest.
The helper withdrew her hand, saying she didn’t want to touch his chest.
According to Shin Min Daily News, Chen then pointed towards her T-shirt, and asked her to “open”, but she refused.
The elderly man then grabbed her left breast, and she pushed him away.
On the evening of 19 Sep, the helper was sitting next to Chen’s bed, massaging his leg.
He turned around and touched her left thigh with his right hand.
At the time, she was wearing shorts.
When touched, the helper immediately shouted for Chen’s wife, causing him to let go.
Chen appeared in court on Thursday (17 Nov) in a wheelchair.
He faced four counts of molestation and pleaded guilty to two of them.
The prosecutor said he’d betrayed the employer-helper relationship with his actions.
The elderly man had taken advantage of his helper’s poor language ability, resulting in her inability to report him, he added.
He will be sentenced next Tuesday (22 Nov).
In mitigation, Chen’s lawyer said his client had been wheelchair-bound since 2020 due to an illness, according to the Shin Min e-paper.
His wife had also suffered a stroke.
Their mobility issues necessitated the hiring of a helper to take care of them.
However, due to this incident, they’ve been barred from hiring any more helpers.
Chen was thus remorseful over his actions that had inconvenienced his wife. He also felt he’d let her down and recently attempted suicide.
As he’s turning 77 on Saturday (19 Nov), he doesn’t have much time left, so if he goes to jail he doesn’t know if he will survive till his release, the lawyer added.
Though the couple has children, they’re all busy with their own lives and the son who lives nearest to them has mental problems.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and MS News.
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