Former IMH nurse jailed for assaulting

SINGAPORE: After an Institute of Psychological Well being affected person (IMH) splashed urine on his colleague, a nurse sprayed hand sanitiser within the susceptible sufferer‘s face, earlier than punching him throughout a ruckus within the day lounge.  Muhammad Ihsan Mahmud, 32, was given 9 weeks’ jail on Monday (Jan 18) for one depend every of voluntarily inflicting damage to a susceptible sufferer and utilizing felony drive towards him. A 3rd cost was thought of in sentencing. The courtroom heard that the Malaysian nationwide started working at IMH in April 2016 and was a workers nurse on the time of the incident on Dec 8, 2019.

Ihsan was on the morning shift with two colleagues that day – 60-year-old well being attendant Sadasivam Kannan and 24-year-old workers nurse Iylia Muhammad Afiq Nor Effendi. The IMH sufferers, together with the sufferer – a long-term affected person at IMH since 2005 who suffers from schizophrenia – have been scheduled for haircuts that morning. At about 10.30am, the sufferer was moved to the day lounge after his haircut. Within the lounge, he was toying with one other affected person‘s urine receptacle earlier than he splashed some urine on an attending nurse, who instructed Ihsan what occurred earlier than going to take a bathe.

After listening to what had occurred, Ihsan approached the 58-year-old sufferer and splashed hand sanitiser in his face whereas the latter was restrained to a wheelchair. The sufferer raised his arms to protect his face and later wiped the liquid off together with his shorts. After this, he picked garbage off the ground whereas Ihsan tended to different sufferers. A couple of minutes later, Ihsan walked previous the sufferer and sprayed hand sanitiser in his face, catching him off-guard. The sufferer couldn’t protect his face in time and rubbed his eyes whereas Ihsan walked away to proceed his duties. A couple of minutes later, whereas securing the restraints for one more affected person, Ihsan tried to hit the sufferer together with his elbow, however the latter dodged the hit. He later sprayed the sufferer‘s face with hand sanitiser a 3rd time for no obvious purpose, intending to bother him. After this, the sufferer started to create a disturbance within the day lounge.

Ihsan, Mr Kannan and Mr Iylia tried to transform the sufferer‘s one-point restraint into one with three factors, however this agitated the sufferer. Ihsan punched the sufferer twice in his eye area earlier than persevering with to safe his restraints. The sufferer remained aggressive and began kicking the nurses, however ultimately was subdued after the three males held him down. Ihsan kicked the sufferer whereas his colleague fastened the restraints round his forearms. His actions have been caught on closed-circuit tv footage, and Mr Iylia later found bruising across the sufferer‘s proper eye. He administered an ice pack on the sufferer, whereas Ihsan reported the accidents to IMH administration, prompting IMH to lodge a police report.

The sufferer was taken to Singapore Common Hospital with bruising over his face and a fractured toe. Deputy Public Prosecutor Phoebe Tan requested for 10 weeks’ jail, saying that Ihsan had breached the belief and responsibility of care owed to the sufferer, who was susceptible due to his psychiatric situation. Ihsan’s actions additionally undermine public confidence within the administration of healthcare companies in Singapore, she mentioned. Whereas he had pleaded responsible, all his actions have been captured on CCTV footage, she identified.

I DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN: ACCUSED

In mitigation, Ihsan mentioned he labored as a nurse to earn a dwelling to help his household in Malaysia and didn’t anticipate this to occur. “I don’t wish to create any hassle whereas working right here,” he mentioned via an interpreter, including that he has three youngsters, one in all whom is a particular wants little one. “My spouse has been affected by despair after the start of my daughter and her situation is getting worse,” he mentioned. “From Jan 8, 2020, I’ve been unemployed and I am grateful for my pal who has been serving to me in my wants and likewise giving me shelter.” He apologised and requested for leniency, saying that his household was by itself as his father-in-law was warded for coronary heart issues and his father was unwell in Penang.

The choose mentioned nothing in his household circumstances justifies a decrease sentence, agreeing that the general public disquiet precipitated was an aggravating issue. Nevertheless, he gave some weight to the truth that Ihsan reported the sufferer‘s accidents. For voluntarily inflicting damage, Ihsan might have been jailed for as much as two years, fined as much as S$5,000, or each. For utilizing felony drive, he might have been jailed for as much as three months, fined as much as S$1,500, or each.  Because the sufferer was susceptible and incapable of defending himself from abuse as a consequence of his psychological infirmity, the utmost sentences for each offences might have been elevated for as much as one-and-a-half instances.