Preschool teacher in Singapore pleads guilty to tripping toddler
On Monday (16 June), a preschool teacher pleaded guilty to deliberately tripping a toddler several times, causing her to fall flat on her face twice, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.
The 20-month-old suffered a nosebleed and facial bruising as a result of the falls.
Saiidah Kamarudin admitted to one of two counts of ill-treating the girl, causing her unnecessary pain and injury.
The 34-year-old initially claimed trial but pleaded guilty on the first day after “some delay”.
Preschool teacher deliberately swept toddler’s leg multiple times
Saiidah’s duties reportedly included caring for a playgroup class that the toddler was in.
In Nov 2023, as Saiidah was cleaning the toddler up in a toilet when she swept her leg outwards, catching the toddler’s foot and causing her to stumble.
Saiidah then swept her leg inwards, causing the toddler to trip and fall backwards onto the ground.
The teacher then picked the girl up and continued cleaning her face.
As they were walking out of the toilet, Saiidah swept her foot towards the girl, again causing her to stumble.
Later, Saiidah swept both the toddler’s legs, causing her to fall forward on her face and cry.
At the time, the toddler was bleeding from one nostril and had a bruise on her face.
Another teacher administered first aid
Another teacher came to check up on the toddler upon hearing her cries. She administered first aid on the girl before placing her down for a nap.
When the girl woke up, the right side of her face was swollen.
According to CNA, Saiidah began working for the preschool in late Sep 2023 but tendered her resignation the following month. Her employment ended in mid-November that year.
Source: pixelshot on Canva. For illustration purposes only.
Father files police report after unsatisfactory explanation from school
Following the incident, a doctor examined the toddler and found that she had mild bruises on her face.
A few days later, the toddler’s father filed a police report as he was dissatisfied with the school’s explanation of how his daughter sustained her injuries.
He then requested access to the school’s closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage from the day of the incident.
Saiidah is scheduled to return to court on 28 July for mitigation and sentencing.
The offence of ill-treating a child comes with a maximum jail term of up to eight years, a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.
Also read: Preschool teacher in S’pore kicks 5-year-old girl in the shin, gets suspended
Preschool teacher in S’pore kicks 5-year-old girl in the shin, gets suspended
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