A domestic helper had resorted to feeding a baby milk spiked with Anarex because she was feeling tired and wanted to make the baby “mabok” so the baby can sleep through the night.
According to CNA, the 32-year-old Indonesian national, who cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the victim’s identity, was sentenced to six months’ jail on Tuesday (Nov 2).
The maid pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt by means of a stupefying substance.
Reportedly, the maid was employed by the baby’s mother, a 33-year-old woman, to take care of the baby and perform household chores.
Feeding the baby Anarex because she was feeling tired
She worked for the family for about 14 months before the incident but throughout her employment, she never had other complaints other than that she felt tired from looking after the baby. However, she did not tell her employer about her weariness.
At about 8.30pm on Dec 5 last year, the baby’s mother told the maid to feed milk to her infant, who was 13 months old at the time.
The maid took the baby’s milk bottle from the kitchen, which was already filled with about 100ml of milk, and then went to her own bedroom to take an Anarex tablet. In case you don’t know, Anarex is a type of medication commonly prescribed for fever, flu and pain that will make people feel drowsy.
The maid knew that the Anarex will make people “mabok” but purposely want to feed the baby the medication because she wanted to make the baby sleep through the night, without having to jagar (look after) the baby.
After adding the Anarex tablet into the baby’s milk, she fed the milk to the baby who drank about 90ml of the milk and fell asleep after about 20 minutes. The maid then placed the baby into a cot before going to the kitchen to wash the milk bottle.
Baby’s cousin spotted something weird in milk bottle and alerted baby’s mother
Luckily, the baby’s cousin spotted something blue and white in the milk bottle and alerted the baby’s mother.
Baby’s mother checked and saw the Anarex tablet at the bottom of the bottle and asked the maid what the tablet was. To which, the maid lied and said she did not know because she felt scared.
The baby’s mother then tasted the tablet and confronted her helper again, and the maid finally admitted that she had added Anarex into the baby’s milk and apologised.
The baby’s mother called the police. Her child was examined in hospital the next day and found to be in fair condition with stable vital signs.
Punishment for the maid
The prosecutor sought at least six months’ jail, noting the premeditation and gross abuse of trust, as the accused had been caring for the victim since she was born.
In mitigation, the maid said she only wanted her baby to rest so she could rest as well. She said she knew what she did was wrong and sought forgiveness and a lighter sentence.
She said it was hard for her since she was remanded, with her father dying in Indonesia. She is also the sole breadwinner of her family after her husband left her, and her mother is in critical care with COVID-19.
For causing others hurt by means of a stupefying substance, the maid could have been jailed up to 10 years and given a fine or caning.
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