36-year-old man allegedly slaps boy outside preschool, gets arrested
While playing with his classmates, a four-year-old boy was allegedly slapped twice by a man outside his preschool in Woodlands.
The man allegedly did this after the boy flashed his middle finger, said his mother in an Instagram post last Friday (6 March).
Source: @threeofakind_siblings on Instagram
Boy flashed middle finger while playing with classmates
The incident happened at about 12 noon on the same day, outside her son’s preschool in Woodlands, said Madam Faezah Hamid.
“[He] was playing catching with his classmates. When he was caught, he showed his middle finger,” the mother shared.
Such gestures are sometimes made by young children even though they do not understand the meaning, she explained.
Man allegedly slaps boy twice while holding on to him
However, the man — believed to be the father of another child — grabbed the boy by the collar and slapped him across the face, Madam Faezah said.
“[The boy] tried to be brave and said, ‘Not pain,’ while holding back his tears,” the mother wrote.
When her helper tried to pull her son away, the man continued holding onto the child.
He then slapped her son a second time on the other cheek, reportedly harder than the first time, she claimed.
“After the second slap, [he] broke down crying,” the mother added.
Man later ‘proudly’ told teachers about it
“After doing this, he walked into the school and proudly told the teachers what he had done”, an act which shocked her even more, Madam Faezah said.
Her helper had called to inform her what had happened while “crying hysterically”, she added.
The alleged incident took place in front of other parents, domestic helpers, and children who were outside the school, which is located near the bus stop outside Block 875 Woodlands Street 82.
According to Google Street View, a PCF Sparkletots Preschool is located in the block.
Source: Google Maps
Mother says she will pursue legal action
Madam Faezah said she intended to pursue this matter “through the proper legal channels” as assaulting a minor is an offence under the Penal Code.
No adult has the right to hit someone else’s child, she stressed, adding:
If a child does something wrong, you speak to the caregiver or inform the parents. You do not grab and hit a child.
Incident happened after school hours, police investigating: MP
In a comment on the post, Sembawang GRC MP Mariam Jaafar said she is aware of the incident and has been in touch with Madam Faezah.
Noting that it happened after school hours, she added that the school would “of course” still assist the police in the investigation.
Source: Instagram
She urged the public to let the police complete the investigation and focus on helping the boy recover and feel safe.
Police report made, man arrested
In response to queries by MS News, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that a report had been lodged.
A 36-year-old man was subsequently arrested for voluntarily causing hurt against a young person.
SPF did not mention when the man was arrested.
Mother worried after man is released on bail
In an Instagram Story posted over the weekend, Madam Faezah revealed that the man is out on bail.
Source: @threeofakind_siblings on Instagram
This worried her, as she said:
Knowing that he is out there does not give me any peace of mind. As a mother, I still do not feel safe for my child.
She hoped that the legal process would take its course, now that the authorities had taken their statements.
MS News has reached out to Madam Faezah for more information.
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Featured image adapted from @threeofakind_siblings on Instagram and Google Maps.Â
