A single mother in Singapore has admitted to throwing hot water on her four children after suspecting one of them of stealing money from her wallet.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that the incident occurred on 2 July 2022.
At the time, the children — three daughters and one son — were aged between eight and 11.
The 33-year-old mother woke her children early to prepare for their madrasah or Islamic religious school.
She instructed her eldest daughter to take S$20 from her wallet to buy breakfast, but the girl found only S$5.
Believing that she had S$60 in the wallet, the mother accused her children of theft.
She forced them to search for the missing cash, threatening to douse them with hot water if they failed to find it.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Tin Shu Min described how the mother then boiled water and poured it into a tumbler.
She carried it to the bedroom where her children were looking for the money and splashed the boiling water on them.
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Despite the children’s denials and pleas, she refilled the tumbler and repeated the act, splashing each child with hot water a total of four times.
The children ran around the bedroom, crying and apologising. However, they continued their search for the money until it was time to shower and prepare for school.
While getting them ready, the mother noticed burn injuries on her son and daughters.
Overcome with guilt, she applied medicated oil to their burns and asked her elder sister to come over.
An ambulance was subsequently called to the scene.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that court documents only covered the details of the injuries sustained by the second oldest child, a 10-year-old girl.
She suffered superficial partial thickness burns over more than 10% of her body, including her stomach, left arm, and both thighs.
The girl required wound dressings under general anaesthesia, and DPP Tin indicated that permanent scarring was likely.
The mother is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
Individuals found guilty of mistreating a child under their care can face up to eight years in prison, a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.
Also read: Man In S’pore Allegedly Abuses & Assaults 5-Year-Old Daughter To Death, Faces Murder Trial
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