Tan Loan Eng, aged 67, was convicted on June 15, 2026, of voluntarily causing hurt after she burned the right forearm of her 28-year-old Myanmar domestic helper with a hot iron on September 6, 2024, in Singapore [1, 2].
The helper had joined Tan's household on July 11, 2024, which included Tan’s husband, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren [1, 2]. On the day of the incident, the helper left a hot iron unattended on the floor by a wooden cupboard after ironing, which upset Tan because she feared it could damage property or cause a fire [1, 2].
Tan pressed the hot iron onto the helper’s right forearm twice, with each contact lasting about two seconds, totaling approximately four seconds. The helper cried and apologized, but Tan refused to accept the apology. She allowed the helper to continue her chores afterward [1, 2].
That evening the helper photographed her injury and sent the image to her maid agency but did not report it to Tan’s son or daughter-in-law until contacted by the agency the following day on September 7 [1, 2]. The daughter-in-law bought medical creams and bandages and on September 8 took the helper back to the maid agency [1, 2].
The helper sought medical treatment on September 9, after which a police report was filed by the doctor treating her [1, 2].
Tan’s lawyer, Jocinda Wong, said Tan grew up in China where physical punishment was common. Wong stated, "Tan had grown up in China where physical punishment was the norm." She added, "The physical punishments suffered by Tan in her childhood led her to being diagnosed with major depression" [1].