SINGAPORE – A woman who hit her maid on the face with a toy guitar until it broke was sentenced to 28 weeks’ jail on Monday for several offences committed against the domestic helper.

Chinese national Jin Yan, 36, had earlier been convicted of using criminal force during the attack that took place on Jan 3, 2018, as well as on four other charges of voluntarily causing hurt to Ms Lutin, 31, who goes by only one name.

She was also ordered to pay a compensation of $2,500 to the maid.

Her husband, Wang Cheng Xiang, 47, was also sentenced on Monday for offences against Ms Lutin.

He was given 13 weeks’ jail and ordered to pay $1,000 in compensation after he was convicted on two charges of voluntarily causing hurt to the maid.

The couple, who have an eight-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, have appealed against their sentences and convictions.

It was previously reported that their offences came to light in January 2018 after Ms Lutin, who had several facial injuries, went to a playground and bumped into another maid.

The second maid snapped pictures of Ms Lutin’s injuries and posted them on Facebook. A third maid alerted the authorities after she saw the post.

Ms Lutin, who was employed by Wang, started working at the couple’s home at the Adria condominium in Novena on June 24, 2017.

The acts of abuse started soon after.

In her earlier submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said that in July that year, Jin slapped Ms Lutin for forgetting to wipe some utensils dry.

Jin then called the maid’s agent, Ms Hong Wan Yi.

The DPP told District Judge Prem Raj: “Lutin spoke to Wan Yi and told her she wished to... change her employer because Jin had started to use her hand on her.

“However, Wan Yi informed Lutin... that she would tell Jin that she may scold Lutin, but not physically assault her.”

After that, Ms Lutin passed the phone back to Jin, who spoke to Ms Hong.

Ms Lutin then continued working for the household.

Despite this, Jin physically abused the domestic worker again in October 2017, when her son got a blister on his finger after touching the rice cooker which Ms Lutin had turned on to cook rice.

According to court documents, Jin slapped the maid on the cheek a few times and grabbed Ms Lutin by her ponytail, causing her to fall. She then kicked Ms Lutin in the chest.

When Wang returned from work and was told about the boy’s injury, he slapped the maid.

Some time in November or December 2017, Jin slapped Ms Lutin on her cheek several times after she caught her two children climbing on furniture in the living room while the maid was putting away clothes in the cupboard of the master bedroom.

Ms Lutin developed ulcers in her mouth after this.

In January 2018, when Ms Lutin left the couple’s daughter alone in the living room to accompany their son to the bathroom, Jin scolded the maid for leaving the girl unattended.

Jin then slapped Ms Lutin and dragged her by her ponytail from the common toilet to the living room and kicked her in the back, DPP Wong told the court.

According to the DPP, the assault with the toy guitar happened after Ms Lutin forgot to hang the boy’s school uniform to dry and left it in a basin, so it stayed wet.

Wang also slapped the maid when he returned home that evening.

It was the following day that Ms Lutin met the other maid in the playground, and the police were alerted soon after to her injuries.