A Singaporean man, aged 28, is accused of mistreating two boys by assaulting them using a clothes hanger and punching them with his fists.
He was charged in court on Thursday (15 June) with 2 charges of ill-treating the two boys that was under his care, under the Children and Youing Persons Act.
Due to legal restrictions and confidentiality orders safeguarding the boys’ identities, specific details such as the location of the incident and the boys’ ages have been omitted from court documents and cannot be disclosed.
Based on the charges filed, it is alleged that in January 2023, the man directed the first boy to assume a push-up position. While the boy was in this position, the man purportedly struck his buttocks multiple times using a clothes hanger.
On March 1, 2023, at approximately 8pm, the man allegedly punched the second boy’s cheek repeatedly and also hit him on the back with a clothes hanger.
Currently, it remains unclear how the offenses came to light or the exact relationship between the accused and the boys.
During the court proceedings on Thursday, it was mentioned that a pending medical report from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital would be considered.
The case has been adjourned until July for further discussion.
If found guilty of ill-treating a child under his care, the man could face a maximum sentence of eight years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$8,000 (US$5,983), or both penalties.
Other similar cases
A widely circulated video recently caught the attention of netizens, showing a woman scolding and hitting a female student at a tuition centre along Toa Payoh Central.
The footage, lasting two minutes and 51 seconds, was brought to public attention through multiple sources, including Facebook user Miu Tan.
The video shows a young girl kneeling before a woman wearing a black short-sleeved top. The girl holds her right hand up to her face while the woman, seated behind a desk seemingly grading assignments, strikes her repeatedly with a pen.
The woman verbally berates the girl in Vietnamese, accusing her of dishonesty. Subtitles in the video indicate that the girl denies the accusation and implores the woman to stop the physical assault.
During the confrontation, the woman’s anger escalates, leading her to strike the girl forcefully enough to cause the pen to fly out of her hand.
A boy seated nearby witnesses the altercation and returns the pen to the woman. The woman continues to berate the girl, using profanity and subjecting her to further physical assault before the video concludes.