Maid Jailed for One Year for Brutally Assaulting 90-Year-Old Dementia Patient in 23-Minute CCTV Attack

Myanmar national Kyal Kyal Tun was sentenced to one year in jail on 4 Jun 2025 for repeatedly assaulting a frail 90-year-old woman with dementia. The 39-year-old domestic helper pleaded guilty to three counts of assault in April.

The victim lived in a Housing Board flat with her 91-year-old husband, who also had dementia and wore adult diapers. The victim also wore adult diapers.

Their 32-year-old grandson, who lived elsewhere, employed Kyal Kyal Tun. She began working in the flat in late 2024, caring for the elderly couple.

Three counts of using criminal force on the victim and a fourth assault charge were considered during her sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Caleb Looi told the court the case details in earlier proceedings.

Violent Attack Captured on Security Camera

At around 9pm on 3 Jan 2025, Kyal Kyal Tun contacted the grandson’s father to tell him that the elderly man had fallen in the kitchen. A CCTV camera in the flat had captured the incident.

Shortly after 10:20pm, the elderly man fell again in his bedroom. Kyal Kyal Tun left him on the floor for about 20 minutes.

She carried his wife and dropped her onto a sofa. Kyal Kyal Tun used her right hand to forcefully cover the elderly woman’s mouth while using her left hand to grab the victim’s hands. She pressed the elderly woman’s head against the sofa and shook her.

At 10:26pm, Kyal Kyal Tun grabbed the victim’s hands and used them to hit the woman’s face. The victim, who was crying, told the maid that she “could die”.

Kyal Kyal Tun slapped the victim’s face, repeatedly shoved her head against the sofa and dragged her to the floor. She grabbed the victim’s head and neck before lifting her up to a sitting position. The maid then pushed the woman along the floor.

The victim moved herself to the bedroom where her husband was. About five minutes later, Kyal Kyal Tun dragged the woman out of the room and flung her onto the sofa again.

She hit the victim’s face multiple times and bit her right hand. Kyal Kyal Tun choked the woman and slammed her against the sofa. The victim was recorded screaming “very painful” and crying for help.

Shortly before 10:45pm, the maid grabbed the victim’s hands and forcefully pushed them against the sofa. The elderly woman again told the maid that she “could die”. She gestured at her jaw and told her assailant that it was swollen.

The grandson later viewed the CCTV footage and saw the maid assaulting his grandmother from 10:22pm to 10:45pm on 3 Jan 2025.

Police Investigation and Legal Consequences

The grandson alerted the police on 4 Jan 2025. The victim was taken to Singapore General Hospital.

Kyal Kyal Tun was arrested on 17 Feb 2025. Court documents did not mention why she was arrested more than a month after she assaulted the victim.

During investigations, Kyal Kyal Tun said she was feeling “very stressed” at the time of the offences and took out her frustrations on the senior citizen.

The victim was later found with injuries, including multiple broken ribs and bruises on her face and limbs. A doctor could not state with certainty if her assailant’s offences had caused the injuries.

For voluntarily causing hurt, a person could be jailed up to three years or fined up to S$5,000 (~SGD$5,000), or both. For committing the offence against a vulnerable person, those found guilty could face up to twice the maximum punishment.