Even though child care teachers have been key for parents to trust as they go on the tough journey to raise a child, this one committed the most heinous act of betrayal of all.
On 18 February, a 55-year-old infant care teacher pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating a child, with a second similar charge taken into consideration.
The offender and the location of offences cannot be revealed under the gag order that was imposed by the court to protect the victim’s identity.
The infant care teacher had abused the one-year-old boy by hitting him, covering his head with a pillow, slamming him to the ground, and slapping his face repeatedly.
What The Offender Did To The Victim
The offender was tasked to care for young children aged between two and 18 months old as part of her job. Her daily tasks included feeding them, changing their diapers, ensuring their overall wellbeing, and engaging in educational activities.
On 24 December 2019, the abuse took place when the victim was about a year old – for half an hour, the offender physically abused the child which was caught on CCTV camera footage.
She had hit him on his back with one hand at least 14 times, hit him with both hands at least eight times, and adjusted his legs roughly at least twice.
The offender also covered the boy’s head with a pillow and slammed his face down onto a cushion by pushing his head down forcefully.
Other actions include shaking the boy roughly by his arms before slamming him to the ground where the boy landed face-up and slapping his cheek seven times in a row.
Throughout this entire ordeal, the boy experienced pain and cried continuously. However, the offender ignored his cries.
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How the Abuse Was Discovered
The offender realised that a huge, red patch was forming on the boy’s back which later started to turn blue.
Fearing that the boy’s mother would notice the injury, the offender attempted to mislead her by asking her via text if the boy had “very sensitive skin”. The offender had tried to cover up by saying the injury was due to an outbreak caused by her patting the boy to sleep “a bit hard”.
Later, the boy’s mother decided to bring him to the hospital and received the diagnosis for the large bruise which was 13 cm by 8 cm in size. The visit diagnosed the bruise as an “alleged non-accidental injury”.
It was only a few days later that the victim’s mother filed a police report after viewing the CCTV footage of the abuse with her husband.
The prosecutor is currently seeking a year’s jail for the offender while defence lawyer, Azri Imran Tan of IRB Law, is seeking half the term proposed by the prosecution.
The offender will return to court in March for sentencing.
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