SINGAPORE: Three people who were accused of offences including maid abuse have walked free after their charges were compounded.
The trio – Avery Dahril Sateria, 27, Aaden Lewis Norman, 31, and Becraft Warren Russell, 61 – were each granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal on Aug 8. This means they cannot be charged again over the same offences.
Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty. Compounding an offence requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with a payment or an apology.
“After reviewing the facts and circumstances of the case, and with the victim’s agreement, the prosecution acceded to the accused persons’ request to have their respective charges compounded,” the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Aug 15, in response to queries from The Straits Times.
Without revealing details about the terms of the composition, an AGC spokesperson told ST that Russell was also issued with a stern warning. District Judge Wong Li Tein then granted the discharge to them.
The trio had been accused of committing the offences in a unit at the Bayshore Park condominium near Upper East Coast Road between 2018 and 2021. Court documents did not disclose their relationship.
In March 2024, Sateria was charged with one count of assaulting Sukiyati, a domestic helper who goes by only one name.
Norman was charged with two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to her. Both Sateria and Norman are Singaporeans.
Russell, an American who was Sukiyati’s employer at the time, was not accused of assaulting her. However, he was accused of offences including knowingly permitting a woman identified as Taslimah Sadakah to allegedly abuse the maid.
Taslimah was not charged in court in March 2024. - The Straits Times/ANN
