S’pore High Commission officer accused of child neglect in London, given a warning

S’pore High Commission officer accused of child neglect for leaving children alone at home

An officer attached to the Singapore High Commission in London was accused by the British authorities of child neglect last year.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has confirmed the incident in a statement to The Straits Times (ST), saying it occurred in September 2023.

Person from S’pore committed ‘significant offence’: Statement

The case was made known in a written statement to the British Parliament on Thursday (14 Nov) by Ms Catherine West, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific.

She said nine “serious and significant offences” were allegedly committed in 2023 by individuals with diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom.

One of these individuals was from Singapore. That person was reported to have been accused of “cruelty to or neglect of a child”.

Cruelty to or neglect of a child is considered a “significant offence”, Ms West added.

Other cases listed in the statement involved a Libyan accused of sexual assault, a Portuguese accused of indecent exposure and an Iraqi accused of possession or distribution of indecent images of children.

S’pore High Commission officer left children at home, 1 child found outside

In response to ST’s queries, Singapore’s MFA said the person involved was a public officer attached to the Singapore High Commission in London.

In September 2023, he left his home at night to pick up his spouse, leaving his sleeping children locked at home.

One of the children woke up and somehow left the house to look for their parents.

The child was found a short distance away from home.

S’pore High Commission officer accused of child neglect

That’s how the local police ended up being involved in the matter, MFA said, adding:

The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required.

The ministry appreciated the professionalism of the local police in handling the situation, it noted, with the officer cooperating fully in the investigation.

Diplomatic immunity was not invoked at any point.

S’pore High Commission officer counselled & warned

However, MFA expects all staff and other officers attached to its missions to “uphold the highest standards of conduct and to abide by the laws of their host countries”.

Thus, the officer involved was counselled and issued a warning after the incident.

His posting in London has since ended as scheduled.

Also read: 55-year-old MFA officer fined for taking nude photos of teenage boy in Tokyo public bathhouse

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Featured image adapted from Singapore High Commission in London and Embassy to Ireland and Iceland on Facebook.