
Pinched, poked and ‘clipped': Singapore woman, 68, charged over bizarre scissors, nail clipper attack on domestic helper
Her alleged actions caused the helper to suffer multiple injuries.
According to The Straits Times, Lim Lay Choo was charged in court on August 13 with maid abuse.
Court documents state that on January 4, at a Bukit Batok Housing Board flat, she allegedly pinched the helper's right forearm, poked it with scissors and 'clipped' it with a nail clipper.
The helper was later found to have sustained seven scratch marks, an abrasion and a bruise on her right arm.
Lim is expected to plead guilty on September 24.
Under Singapore law, those convicted of assaulting a domestic helper face up to six years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000 (RM32,800), or both.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Singapore evaluating rapid urine test kits to enable faster detection of etomidate, found in Kpods
Vaping devices were seized during a raid targeting suspected vape distribution at a residence in Yishun on June 23. -- ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Rapid urine test kits could soon be used by the authorities to detect etomidate, an illicit substance increasingly found in vapes here. This marks another step in a recent clampdown against such vapes, known as Kpods, which have grown in appeal partly because some sellers claim the drug cannot be detected in urine. A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) spokeswoman said on Aug 7 that such claims are false. She added HSA was evaluating rapid urine test kits that could enable faster detection of etomidate use. Ways to test for etomidate in hair and using saliva are also in the works. Currently, vape pods, including those suspected to contain illicit substances such as etomidate, are tested at HSA's laboratories. They also conduct confirmation tests for etomidate in both blood and urine samples from patients admitted to hospitals. The spokeswoman added: 'Our laboratory findings confirm that even trace amounts can be detected in the urine of those who are vaping etomidate.' Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said on July 20 the authorities were working to list etomidate as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This came after a third of more than 100 vapes seized during enforcement operations and tested at random contained the substance. The legal update paves the way for abusers and traffickers of Kpods to face stricter punishment, such as mandatory rehabilitation and jail time for repeat offenders. Growing demand Law enforcement agencies in other countries are also finding ways to test for the illicit substance as they grapple with a growing trend of etomidate abuse. The substance, once called 'space oil' in Hong Kong, has now been banned and renamed, and police there have been carrying rapid testing devices since January. The Hong Kong Free Press reported that the device can be inserted into a vape and detects the drug within 15 seconds with a 99 per cent accuracy rate. The substance emerged in the city in late 2023 and is now a scourge, with 327 etomidate abusers recorded in the first half of 2025, exceeding the 300 for the whole of 2024. Two manufacturers of etomidate rapid test kits told ST there is a growing global demand for their products. Chinese firm Hangzhou Clongene Biotech began developing urine and saliva rapid test kits two years ago in response to higher demand in China and abroad. A sales manager, who wanted to be known only as Ms Blanche, said it mainly supplies these kits to the government, hospitals and police. She told ST on Aug 12: 'We received inquiries from some biopharmaceutical companies from Singapore in the past two weeks, and we are preparing samples for them to test now.' Mr Kutong, a technical support and market manager for Ecalbio, a Chinese company which started manufacturing such kits in 2018, said it sold 400,000 test kits in 2024, up from 300,000 in 2023 and 100,000 in 2022. He added that customers have come from the US, Canada and Russia, but not Singapore. Results in minutes The etomidate kits produced by these two companies resemble Covid-19 test kits. Urine and saliva samples can be tested on them, and results are displayed within five to 10 minutes. If etomidate is present, only the control line will become visible. A negative result is indicated by both the control and test lines becoming visible. In June, a published paper in scientific journal Dalton Transactions presented a new chromium(III) complex-based sensor which could test for etomidate. The sensor works by displaying a colour change if etomidate is present within vape liquids, and can provide accurate results within a minute, according to the research paper. The team of researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Baptist University said vaping etomidate is a red-hot social issue that has led to health concerns and deaths. The researchers wrote: 'A fast, sensitive and cost-effective detection tool for etomidate is urgently needed to support law enforcement.' - The Straits Times/ANN

Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Fraudsters turn to TikTok and AI as scams hit Malaysia's youth hardest
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Fraud syndicates in Malaysia are exploiting social media and artificial intelligence (AI) to deploy sophisticated scams that blend child sexual exploitation, extortion and illegal content sales, with teenagers as their primary victims. Malaysian Cyber Consumers Association (MCCA) president Siraj Jalil said scam tactics have dramatically evolved over the past decade, from traditional Macau, romance and parcel scams to complex, multi-layered cybercrimes. He highlighted a scam involving 'sugar mummy' service offers on TikTok to lure teenagers, coercing them to share personal content classified as Child Sexual Exploitation Material (C-SET). Victims are then extorted for thousands of ringgit to avoid public exposure. 'Even after ransom payments, syndicates continue selling the compromising material on platforms like Telegram to paedophile communities,' Siraj told Bernama Radio today. He also warned social media merchants face new risks of being falsely accused when scammers duplicate their ads, deceive buyers and exploit buyer information to defraud the genuine sellers. When victims report fraud, the legitimate merchants' accounts may be frozen under suspicion, he added. Siraj also noted modern scams increasingly use AI-generated fake content, leaked data from major tech companies like Meta, and social engineering to study victim behaviour. To address these threats, the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) now operates 24/7 with an expanded cybercrime mandate. He urged parents to closely monitor their children's online activity and called on the government to provide AI literacy education for the public. Cybercrime victims can seek help via MCCA's website at — Bernama

Malay Mail
11 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Fahmi: MCMC and police tracing TikTok user over fake forensic claims in Zara Qairina case
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Authorities are investigating a TikTok user who claimed to be a forensic surgeon in a 'live' broadcast discussing the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir. According to Utusan Malaysia, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said checks with the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed the individual is neither a surgeon nor a forensic officer and has no ties to MOH. 'The false statement has spread widely, giving the impression it was true. This was verified by MOH's Deputy Director-General of Medical Services after consulting the Head of the Forensic Pathology Team,' he reportedly said. Fahmi added that the user's account is now private, but the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) are tracing their identity and location for prosecution. He urged the public to verify information before sharing, warning that spreading false news can incur fines of up to RM500,000. Zara Qairina was found unconscious after falling from a third-floor dormitory at a religious school in Papar, Sabah, on July 16, and died the following day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital.