SINGAPORE — A former childcare worker has been sentenced to 26 weeks in prison after being found guilty of physically abusing a five-year-old boy. The 54-year-old woman, frustrated with the child’s behavior, yanked him across the classroom, pulled his hair, and repeatedly slammed him against the floor, according to the court’s findings.

The abuse occurred in February 2022 at a kindergarten where the woman worked as a student-care officer. The victim, a young boy with special needs, was under her supervision from noon to 6:30 p.m. each day. His identity, along with the names of the offender and the kindergarten, have been kept confidential by court order to protect the boy’s privacy.

Incident Details

The incident unfolded on February 15, 2022, when the woman became irritated after seeing the boy and another child playing with water at the classroom sink and ignoring her instructions to sit down for snacks. They had poured water on the bookshelves, further angering the woman, who had already been frustrated with their earlier disruptive behavior during nap time.

Around 3:10 p.m., the woman grabbed the boy by both arms and dragged him away from the sink. The boy fell to the floor and attempted to escape her grasp, but she continued dragging him across the floor. After pulling him to his feet, she took him back to the sink area and, in a fit of frustration, swung him forcefully against the wet floor several times, causing his lower body to repeatedly hit the ground.

She then sat him down beside her on a cabinet, grabbing him by the hair and pushing his head towards the floor. The child, in pain, knelt and curled up, but the woman continued to handle him aggressively, pulling him to his feet and pushing through a group of students to gather his belongings. When the boy tried to retrieve his things, she snatched them away, causing him to fall to his knees again. She proceeded to drag him across the classroom floor for about 40 seconds.

The entire incident was captured on the classroom’s surveillance cameras.

Parents and Legal Action

That evening, the boy’s father noticed scratches on his son’s face and neck and asked what had happened. The boy explained that the childcare worker had caused the injuries but did not go into further detail. His concerned parents informed the kindergarten the following day, prompting the head of the center and the vice-principal to review the surveillance footage. The woman resigned from her job two days after the incident, on February 17, 2022.

A police report was filed six days later. The child was taken to the National University Hospital for examination, where doctors discovered a faint scratch near his head and a bruise on his right shoulder.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Natalie Chu called for a jail sentence of eight to nine months, highlighting the psychological harm caused not only to the victim but also to the other children who witnessed the incident. “Seeing such physical aggression is deeply troubling for young children, and it gives the wrong impression that such violence is permissible,” DPP Chu said.

The defense, led by lawyer Mr. Muhammad Hasif Abdul Aziz, requested a fine instead of a jail sentence, citing the woman’s lack of formal childcare training. However, District Judge Lee Lit Cheng rejected this argument, stating that a fine would be insufficient given the severity of the offense. “The lack of training does not justify her behavior, and deterrence is crucial in protecting young children from abuse,” the judge emphasized.

Judge Lee also acknowledged the significant physical disparity between the woman and the child, further underscoring the inappropriateness of her actions. She stressed that the childcare worker’s actions had violated the safety and trust expected in a childcare setting.

For her crime under the Children and Young Persons Act, the woman could have faced up to eight years in prison or a fine of S$8,000, or both.