16-year-old girl allegedly murdered by maid

[pianist]

Maryam Mokthar
The Straits Times

Thursday, Nov 14, 2013


SINGAPORE - Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene and police said a 28-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the case.

Suspected murder in Tampines flat; neighbour heard shrieks at noon

SINGAPORE - The neighbour, who also lives on the 10th floor, said she heard shrieks coming from the flat at about 12pm on Thursday.



Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Here is the full statement from the Singapore Police Force:

SINGAPORE - On November 14, 2013 at about 12.57pm, Police received a call for assistance at Blk 856B Tampines Street 82. Upon Police's arrival, a 16-year-old girl was found motionless inside a unit at the said block. She was pronounced dead by paramedics at scene.

A 28-year-old woman has been arrested by Police in connection to the case. Police have classified the case as Murder and investigations are ongoing.

16-year-old girl allegedly murdered by maid

SINGAPORE - A 28-year-old maid has been arrested for allegedly stabbing to death a 16-year-old girl.

The incident happened this afternoon at Block 856B on Tampines Street 82, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

The 16-year-old who lived with her family on the 10th floor was found with two fatal stab wounds in the bedroom.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, the suspected murderer is the family's 28-year-old maid, who have been arrested by the police.

A police spokesperson said the case has been classified as a murder investigation.

This article was translated from Lianhe Wanbao (Nov 14, 2013).

wjeanne@sph.com.sg

[countonme]

Very sad case. Hope working parents watch out potential problems in the maid, if any.

[pianist]

that storey hard to sell now or command discount

Sunday, November 17, 2013 - 06:30
Linette Heng
Nur Shereen Ibrahim
The New Paper

SINGAPORE - Neighbours had noticed the Indonesian helper looking despondent and pacing outside the flat late last Saturday night.

Five days later, she was found in a daze, sitting in a bedroom in her employer's executive flat in Tampines.

The body of her employer's 16-year-old daughter lay beside her. In the bathroom, a bloodied knife stained the floor.

Neighbours had earlier heard a blood-curdling scream, followed by cries, coming from the flat.

They later found out that an Indonesian domestic helper, 28, had allegedly stabbed the teenager twice and then watched as she bled to death.

The murder happened early on Thursday afternoon in the 10th-storey unit at Block 856, Tampines Street 82, a short fiveminute walk from Tampines Mall.

A neighbour who lives on the 15th storey, who declined to be named, told The New Paper: "The girl's parents had returned to the flat at about 12.30pm. When they walked in, they saw their daughter lying on the floor and the maid sitting in a daze."

DEAD

The parents ran down to a unit one storey below to seek help from their friend.

They remained downstairs while the friend and his Indonesian maid rushed up to their flat to help the girl, but realised that she was dead.

The neighbour from the 15th storey said that he later found out what happened from the friend's maid, who declined to be interviewed when approached by TNP.

He said: "The friend's maid tried to speak to the other maid but she didn't say anything. She just kept quiet throughout." Even when she was asked repeatedly to explain the incident, the maid kept silent and just stared into space.

16-year-old girl found dead in Tampines flat believed to have been murdered

Lianhe Wanbao, The Straits Times, The New Paper, Lianhe Zaobao

FATHER INCONSOLABLE

By then, the victim's mother had fainted and her father was in tears and inconsolable.

"When the police arrived, the father was still crying and wanted to go back to the flat. But the police had sealed the place and wouldn't let him in," the neighbour said.

The victim was later pronounced dead by paramedics who arrived at about 1pm. The maid was arrested. The police, who said they received a call at 12.57pm, have classified the case as murder.

Investigations are ongoing.

EARLY SIGNS OF DISTRESS

Other neighbours said the maid had shown signs of distress as early as a year ago.

A domestic helper living on the sixth storey said she had heard from the ninth-storey maid that the murder suspect was suicidal almost a year ago.

"She (the suspect) told her friend that she wanted to jump down because her employer wanted to call the police. When asked why, she just kept quiet," said the 37-year-old Indonesian helper, who did not know the suspect well.

A 58-year-old woman living in the opposite block, who wanted to be known only as Rose, said: "Last Saturday, she was just standing there outside her flat and looking troubled. "Her head was down and she was staring at the ground. It was about 11pm and she was outside for almost 20 minutes." Most neighbours did not know the family well or were not even aware that they had a domestic helper.

KEPT TO THEMSELVES

A neighbour who lives on the 10th storey said: "The family moved in about four years ago and have another child, a son, in primary school. They kept to themselves, we would just nod and say hi."

At 8.30pm on Thursday, the victim's parents were still in their friend's flat. Many visitors streamed into the flat throughout the afternoon but they declined to comment or identify themselves. The police cordoned part of the 10th storey until about 7pm.

[b]A young man who lived on the same storey said: "The maid looked normal. You couldn't tell just by looking. [b]"This is a peaceful neighbourhood. You wouldn't expect this to happen."[/b][/b]
Neighbours: Victim was TKGS girl

A neighbour on the same storey said yesterday that the victim was polite and would call her "auntie" whenever they met.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Tan, said the teenager was a student at Tanjong Katong Girls School and was "probably doing her O levels this year".

"She was tall and skinny, much taller than me," said Mrs Tan, who is about 1.6m tall.

She added that the victim's family mostly kept to themselves, but she was one of those who knew the family well.

Describing the teenager as a smart and nice girl, Mrs Tan said: "She brought Hari Raya cookies to my house recently."

Referring to the shocking incident, she said with a shudder. "Of course, it is scary. I feel very sad for her."

KILLER MAIDS

NOV 2009

Indonesian maid Vitria Wahyuni, then 16, strangled her employer, 87, to death in her flat just a few days after starting work.

She also smashed a porcelain vase against the elderly woman's head. Vitria was upset at being scolded for not wiping the metal grilles clean and being called stupid by her employer.

She cleaned up the crime scene and ran into the streets screaming for help that her employer had suffered a fall.

She was sentenced to 20 years in jail last year.

DEC 2009

Sri Lankan maid Puwaneswary Tharmalingam killed her lover by slamming a dumb-bell against his head.

She was angry that the Indian national, whom she had been seeing for about two years, had asked her to get her employer's cheque book so that he could forge a cheque to pay for an arranged marriage back home. She was sentenced to 10 years' jail in May this year.

NOV 2010

Indonesian maid Nurhayati pushed her employer's daughter, 12, who was physically and mentally disabled, to her death from their 16th-storey flat.

Nurhayati had been working for the family for barely a month and resented her employer for scolding her.

She was jailed for 20 years in October last year. The girl's family is now suing the maid agency for negligence as they claim she was only 16 at that time - well below the legal age of 23 for maids.