A foreign domestic worker was sentenced to six months in jail on Tuesday, Feb 10, after admitting to abusing a four-month-old baby under her care. The woman, Indonesian national Indah Komala Sari, 29, pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act.
Indah had started working for the family in mid-May 2025, and one of her main duties was caring for the infant. About two weeks into the job, the incident happened inside the family’s home on Jun 2, 2025, at around 3.30 pm.
At the time, Indah was carrying the baby in her arms. The baby’s grandparents were also at home, while the baby’s mother was out, watching live footage from a baby monitor on her mobile phone. The baby was crying, and this appeared to frustrate Indah.
According to court documents, Indah grabbed the baby girl’s right arm and used it to punch the infant’s own face multiple times. The child’s mother clearly saw the acts on the baby monitor livestream.
After hitting the baby, Indah realised that the camera was observing her. She then quickly carried the child away from the view of the monitor.
The baby’s mother returned home immediately after witnessing the incident and contacted the police. Paramedics later attended to the baby, but no visible injuries were found at the scene. Indah was arrested on the same day and charged in court.
During sentencing submissions, the prosecution asked for a jail term of between seven and 10 months. The prosecutor highlighted that the baby was “utterly defenceless and extremely vulnerable”.
He also said that Indah had acted while thinking her actions would not be discovered, as the baby monitor was initially pointed at an empty cot.
“It was entirely fortuitous that the victim’s mother moved the video camera to face the accused, right before she committed the offences, such that the offences could be witnessed,” he said.
Indah’s defence lawyer, Mr Anand Nalachandran from Forte Law, asked for a lighter sentence of four months. He said his client was “in no way seeking to excuse her conduct”.
Mr Anand explained that Indah had been working in Singapore for six years before the incident and came to the new household “fully intending to do her job”.
“Unfortunately, this incident occurred about two weeks after she started,” he said.
He added that the baby had not slept well the night before, which affected Indah’s rest.
“The following day, despite her efforts, the baby could not be pacified,” said Mr Anand. “That is why, in her exhaustion and desperation, she reacted. She makes no excuses and blames no one for her mistake.”
He also told the court that this mistake had “altered the course of her life”, and Indah understands she will be repatriated after serving her sentence.
Under the law, ill-treating a child could have resulted in up to eight years in jail, a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.
