Helper who committed rash act, causing elderly employer to suffer head injury gets 8 weeks’ jail

On February 21, a domestic helper named Sulastri Wulandari, 31, from Indonesia, was sentenced to eight weeks in jail after pleading guilty to causing hurt to her elderly employer. The victim, 94 years old, suffered a left subdural haemorrhage - a condition where blood pools between the brain's surface and the skull's inner layer. The pair lived alone in a Telok Blangah Housing Board flat, sharing separate bedrooms and relying on each other for daily tasks.

That evening, around 10:30pm, Sulastri was in her bedroom when the victim knocked on her door, seeking assistance for a nighttime meal. Upon opening the door, she informed him that he had already eaten that day before slamming it shut. Minutes later, the victim struck her bedroom door continuously with his walking stick for approximately ten seconds. Frustrated, Sulastri closed the door in his face.

Shortly after, the victim used the base of his walking stick to repeatedly hit her bedroom door for about ten seconds. Sulastri eventually opened the door, leading to a scuffle as the victim struggled to keep hold of his walking stick. In the commotion, the 94-year-old lost his balance, fell backward, and struck his head on the wall. He began bleeding from his head and informed his nephew at around 11:20pm that he had fallen.

Sulastri was arrested on July 29 following the incident and charged soon after.