Former air force sergeant charged with abuse
By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
ACCUSATION OF VIOLENCE: Indonesian maid Nana Widayanti (next picture) told the court yesterday that her employer Tong Chew Wei (above) dragged her into the toilet by her hair and punched her face repeatedly. -- ST PHOTOS: AZIZ HUSSIN
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SHE had a meal or two a day and went to bed at 3am or so every day.
She was also hit with a broomstick, had her legs scalded and her feet stomped on while she was working in the home of former air force sergeant Tong Chew Wei.
But Indonesian maid Nana Widayanti's most damning accusation against her employer in court yesterday: she was beaten for eating baby milk powder when she could not withstand her hunger pangs.
Tong, 31, is now facing charges of abuse that had taken place between December 2006 and February last year.
The last time he hit her was on Feb 25 last year, Miss Widayanti claimed. Tong had been having his own meal past 1am when she asked to be allowed to eat.
She had had only breakfast to sustain her the whole day.
'He refused to give me anything. As I was feeling hungry, I then took the baby's milk powder to consume,' she said on the stand.
When Tong's wife caught her red-handed and rebuked her, Miss Widayanti denied eating anything. Tong was in the shower then.
She said the same later to Tong, who forced her mouth open so he could check.
She claimed Tong then dragged her by the hair to the toilet, rained punches on her face and jabbed his elbow onto her back several times.
Crying in pain, she told him to stop. But he allegedly said he would stop after he had hit her twice.
He told her to wash her hands and go to sleep and said he would report her to the police in the morning for stealing the milk powder.
This was when Miss Widayanti decided to make a run for it. For two days, she camped out at the HDB void decks in Jurong West, until another Indonesian maid came to her aid. She lodged a police report at Clementi police station.
Miss Widayanti will continue to be cross-examined today.
If convicted, Tong faces a jail term of up to 18 months or a fine of up to $1,500 or both on each charge.
elena@sph.com.sg
