Jail for training officer who pushed woman with intellectual disability, causing knee injuries
The offender was angered that the victim had not followed instructions.
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SINGAPORE: A woman who worked as a training officer at a social service agency was sentenced to 14 weeks' jail on Friday (Aug 7) for pushing a person with intellectual disability, causing her to suffer a dislocated knee and multiple fractures.
Nur Amira Shahirah Azmi, a 21-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt that resulted in grievous hurt to a woman she knew was a vulnerable person.
The victim and the location of the offence cannot be identified due to a gag order.
The court heard that the victim had been diagnosed with an intellectual disability more than 10 years ago, making her a vulnerable person under Section 74 of the Penal Code.
The victim had been attending training programmes at the premises where the incident occurred. Before noon on Aug 30, 2024, the victim and a male trainee were seated in a classroom while waiting for lunch. Trainers had previously instructed the victim not to assist the man at lunchtime as part of efforts to train him to be independent.
When it was their turn to get lunch, the victim extended her hand to guide the man towards the classroom door. A trainer reminded her not to help him, and she proceeded to the door on her own while the man remained seated.
Amira, who was near the classroom, overheard her colleague reminding the victim not to help the man. Angered that the victim had not followed instructions, she approached her while scolding her, causing the victim to retreat further into the classroom.
Amira then pushed the victim once. The victim fell to the ground and hit a foam structure behind her. Although she began crying, Amira continued to stand over her and scold her for about 10 seconds.
She then walked towards the classroom door but returned shortly after to scold the victim for another 20 seconds as she remained on the ground.
The victim continued crying and pointed to her left knee. Amira rolled up the victim's pants to check for injuries but did not see any obvious signs. She tried to help the victim up and gestured for her to return to her seat, but the victim remained on the floor.
Amira briefly left the classroom. When she returned, she saw that the victim had managed to stand up on her own but was holding onto a table for support. Amira then helped her back to her seat.
Later, other trainers noticed that the victim was unable to stand or walk on her own. Amira informed her supervisors of the victim's condition but said she did not know why the victim was in pain.
The victim's mother was notified. As the victim was still unable to walk, Amira and another trainer arranged for transport and accompanied her home.
INJURIES
The victim was taken to Sengkang General Hospital that evening, where doctors found that she had sustained a left knee injury. She was admitted for further investigations, which revealed a dislocation and several fractures that caused pain and prevented her from bearing weight.
Surgery was not required. Instead, she was fitted with a hinged knee brace for six weeks.
On Sep 3, 2024, Amira admitted to her supervisors that she had pushed the victim. A colleague subsequently lodged a police report, while the victim's mother also filed a report after being informed of the incident.
The organisation has since paid for the victim’s medical expenses and provided S$1,200 in compensation.
Amira was arrested on Nov 25, 2025 and charged in court the following month.
For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, she could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
Where an offence is committed against a vulnerable person, the court may impose up to twice the maximum punishment if the offender knew or ought reasonably to have known of the victim’s vulnerability.
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