Fri, 25 Jan 2008
Hong Kong - An Indonesian maid was Friday awaiting sentence after being convicted of breaking the arm of a four-month-old baby boy in her care. Siti Fatimah, 33, was convicted of child abuse despite claiming in court that the injury may have happened when she grabbed the baby after he wriggled and almost slipped out of her arms.
The infant's broken arm was discovered in March last year by his grandmother after the boy's parents went away on holiday, leaving him in Fatimah's care.
The boy spent one week in hospital where doctors found signs of earlier fractures to his arm and thighs which they said appeared not to be accidental but rather caused by forceful pulling or twisting.
Prosecution lawyers said Fatimah admitted to police she suspected the baby had been injured but failed to seek help because she feared she would lose her job.
At a magistrates court hearing Thursday, Fatimah was convicted of child abuse despite pleading not guilty. She will be sentenced on February 6.
Hong Kong is home to around 220,000 live-in foreign domestic helpers mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia who do housework and child care duties for a government-set minimum wage of around 420 US dollars a month.
Author : DPA
