SINGAPORE: Suspecting that her elderly employer was suffering from dementia as she displayed memory loss, a maid used her employer’s debit card to withdraw money for herself.
Over about a year, Indonesian national Mimin withdrew S$18,710 from her 71-year-old employer’s bank account and remitted most of it home.
Mimin, who goes by one name, was sentenced to five months’ jail on Monday (Feb 13). The 39-year-old woman turned up in court with luggage in tow.
She pleaded guilty to one charge of theft by servant. Another two charges were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Mimin began working for the victim and the victim’s bedridden husband in October 2020 for a monthly salary of S$670 to S$690.
Her tasks included caring for the elderly couple, cleaning the house and accompanying the victim to the hospital and supermarket.
While caring for the victim, Mimin realised that the victim had symptoms of memory impairment and formed the impression that the victim suffered from dementia.
On one occasion, the victim was withdrawing money and Mimin caught a glimpse of the PIN that she entered. The maid memorised the number and took note that the victim kept her debit card in her handbag.
As the victim’s memory deteriorated over time, the victim entrusted Mimin with withdrawing money for her on occasion.
When Mimin withdrew money for her employer, she would also take some money for herself. She also stole the card on occasion to withdraw money.
Over 46 occasions between January 2021 and December 2022, she withdrew a total of S$18,710 from the victim’s bank account and remitted most of it home, except for S$30 that she used to buy a pair of earrings for herself.
VICTIM’S DAUGHTER NOTICED LOW BALANCE
On Feb 11, 2022, the victim’s daughter used the debit card to withdraw money on the victim’s behalf. She realised that there was a balance of about S$100 in the account and felt that something was amiss, as she remembered there was a balance of about S$13,000 as of August 2021.
She told her brother what she discovered and they discussed the matter before lodging a police report three days later.
Mimin initially maintained in her first two police statements that she neither stole the debit card nor any money. She claimed that her employer had voluntarily given her the card and authorised her to withdraw money.
She said she either passed the money to her employer or used it to buy groceries on her employer’s instructions.
The maid only admitted her crimes in her third police statement, after she was confronted with remittance slips recovered through investigations.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Colin Ng asked for four to six months’ jail. He said no restitution was made except for the pair of earrings.
He said Mimin had exploited the victim’s deteriorating memory and denied the offences at first.
“As of 2021, there are about 246,300 migrant domestic workers employed in Singapore, serving roughly one in five households,” he said. “While the vast majority of these domestic maids are honest, there will always be black sheep who seek to abuse the trust reposed in them.”
District Judge Eugene Teo said he took into account the fact that Mimin’s father had died and that she was going through a difficult period.
Mimin’s lawyers from Shook Lin & Bok highlighted that Mimin had used the money to help pay off her family’s debts.
“If this was a case where you took the monies for entirely frivolous purposes, like for gambling or for luxury goods, your sentence would easily have been doubled in this case,” said Judge Teo.
However, he said this was still a serious offence, with a maximum of up to seven years’ jail.