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SCMP Reporter

A domestic helper was jailed for eight months yesterday for spiking a nine-month-old baby girl's bottle of milk with bleach in an act of revenge after she was told that her work contract was being terminated.
Muhari Lismiwati,  30, squeezed one drop of bleach from a cleaning  cloth into the milk she was preparing for the baby, Tuen Mun Court heard. The incident happened on March 25 in the family's Yuen Long flat.
Lismiwati yesterday reversed her plea and admitted an amended charge of administering poison or other destructive or noxious  substance with intent to injure. She had initially faced a count of administering poison to endanger life.
Before sentencing, Lismiwati went down on her knees to apologise to the baby's parents, who were in court. 'Ma'am, I'm so sorry! I'm so stupid!' she said. 
Deputy Magistrate Douglas Kwok Kam-tao  said the parents had trusted the defendant and that the contract was terminated  because of financial difficulties.
Spiking the milk was a serious matter as bleach was a toxic substance, Kwok said, adding that it was 'evil' to feed the mix to the baby. 
Prosecutor Constance Chow Mei-chu  earlier told the court  Lismiwati came to work for the baby's mother, Or Wing-shan, on January 13. 
But the court heard that Or never let Lismiwati wash the baby's milk bottles after  discovering that the helper seldom washed her hands after going to the toilet. 
At the end of February, Or informed Lismiwati that her contract would end  on March 26. After that, the helper's work deteriorated. 
On the morning of March 25, Or asked the helper to prepare milk for the baby. However, after taking a small amount, the baby refused her feed and vomited, the court heard.
Or tried to feed her daughter again shortly afterwards, but she resisted. Or then opened the milk bottle and  whiffed a strong smell of bleach. She then called the police.
The baby was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital  with a  reddish throat and was discharged the next day.
A medical report showed there was less than one millilitre of bleach in the milk, and anyone ingesting such an amount might vomit.
In mitigation, Lismiwati's barrister, Ching Wan-fung,  said the helper, who was on her first Hong Kong work assignment,  acted out of momentary foolishness as she was unhappy after learning that she was about to lose her job.




Helper gets eight months' jail for spiking baby's milk with bleach