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Jasmine Siu

A Filipino domestic helper has a case to answer over allegations she bathed a six-month-old girl in bleach, a Hong Kong court heard on Tuesday.
Deputy magistrate Jerry Chung Ming-shing concluded prosecutors have established a prima facie case against Merlyn Anao Ando, 39, after her former employer testified to seeing the infant cry and develop redness on her body during a bath on August 13 last year.
“[The defendant] told me the bottle of shower gel … was replaced by bleach,” the mother said. “I was scared and shocked … I don’t understand why this would happen because all along we treated our domestic helpers as family.”
But the helper, who has no criminal record, denied preparing the bath water and said it was the mother, while distracted, who poured the bleach that was kept in a purple bottle of Johnson’s Baby shower gel.

A government chemist who examined the bottle found traces of bleach inside.
Upon her arrest last August, Ando told police: “I did not add bleach to the baby wash, it was already an empty bottle. I only used the bottle, I have nothing else to say.”
On Tuesday, she pleaded not guilty to one count of ill-treatment by those in charge of a child or young person.
Sha Tin Court heard Ando began working for the family in February 2017 and was due to leave the day after the alleged incident, following her resignation.
Her duties included cleaning and caring for the three young children in the household.
The mother, whose name has been withheld to protect the child’s identity, said she and Ando had prepared the bath together by adding shower gel to the water.
New hotline for domestic workers ‘a small step in right direction’
She first noticed something strange when she poured in some floral water and the colour of the bath water deepened.
But she continued to wash her daughter after her two helpers assured her they had followed the usual procedures to prepare the bath.
“Having bathed the baby for a few minutes, my hand, arm, felt something hot,” the mother said. “At the same time the baby started crying.”
In defence, counsel John Marray suggested the mother had been distracted by tense discussions about Ando’s departure.
He also said Ando had been making a phone call and did not prepare the bath water, which the mother disagreed with.
Life as an ‘invisible but essential’ Filipino maid in Hong Kong
“Did you know the defendant used the purple bottle containing bleach to clean the bathroom?” Marray asked.
“I wouldn’t know because it shouldn’t contain bleach, it shouldn’t happen,” the mother replied.
Her daughter was sent to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin after Ando called police.
The doctor who examined the infant found her to be a “lively and playful” baby and observed she had “no obvious marks of injuries”.
A police officer noticed redness on the infant’s right thigh and stomach, and took pictures of them.
The infant was discharged from hospital the same day.
Ando will testify on Friday.


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Filipino helper put bleach in baby’s bath, Hong Kong court told, but worker says it was the mother’s fault

The bleach was claimed to have been kept in a purple bottle marked as baby shampoo. Photo: Alamy

***ONE TIME USE ONLY, PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE RE-USE - OTUO*** Shatin Magistrates' Courts. SCMP Pictures (UNDATED HANDOUT)

Filipino helper put bleach in baby’s bath, Hong Kong court told, but worker says it was the mother’s fault

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Incident happened day before helper was due to leave after resigning

Incident happened day before helper was due to leave after resigning