TO TEACH her maid a lesson, finance officer Sally Ang Poh Choo took marker pens and drew lines on the Indonesian's face.

She punished Miss Sri Hartuti Rokiman for not properly closing the front door of her Eastwood Place house, off Bedok Road, while washing the family car in the front porch.

The 26-year-old maid, who was left with scratches on her face, ran away the next day and reported it to the police. She also asked a neighbour and her maid to take photographs of her scratches and bruises.

Yesterday, Ang, 44, a mother of two, was jailed three weeks and fined $1,500 for hurting the maid on that day and on four other occasions over a two-month period in 2005.

She had pleaded guilty to the offences, which included pinching Miss Sri Hartuti and poking her head with a finger.

Ang abused Miss Sri Hartuti because she was disappointed with the maid's work, including the way she scrubbed the kitchen.

Ang will start serving her jail term next Thursday after her lawyer, Mr Ramesh Chandra, told the court that she needed a week to tie up loose ends at work. The company she works for had been unable to find a replacement for her, he said.

Mr Ramesh said Ang regretted her actions and had compensated Miss Sri Hartuti to the tune of $4,000.

When District Judge Wong Choon Ning asked why there had been a delay of about three years in prosecuting Ang, Assistant Public Prosecutor Olivine Lin said it was because the police had 'sat on the case'.

The Attorney-General's Chambers had to ask the police to expedite the matter, she added.

A police spokesman said yesterday that it would look into Ms Lin's comments.