SINGAPORE, Oct 29 — A 35-year-old Singaporean woman who worked at a childcare centre was sentenced to six months’ jail yesterday for ill-treating three kindergarten pupils, aged four and five.
According to The Straits Times, she pleaded guilty to two counts of child ill-treatment involving separate victims in July 2024.
Details about her, the children, and the location of the offences cannot be disclosed due to a gag order protecting the victims’ identities.
Her actions came to light after a parent reported that their child was too afraid to attend the centre because of her behaviour.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Lau said the woman had been responsible for supervising about a dozen kindergarten pupils from 7am to 1pm on weekdays.
On July 25, 2024, she lost her temper with a five-year-old boy she thought was misbehaving, grabbing his arm and flinging his chair aside before dragging him across the classroom.
She then shouted at a four-year-old girl to stand and eat her lunch, pulling her by the arm and causing her to hit a table when the girl failed to respond.
The offender later shoved the first boy twice, causing him to fall and nearly hit a wall.
When she thought another boy was laughing, she hoisted him up by the arm and pushed him toward a wall, causing him to fall forward.
She then threw two chairs across the room and ordered the first boy to pick them up.
Following the parent’s complaint, the centre’s staff reviewed CCTV footage of the incident and contacted the police.
The woman was subsequently charged in court in 2025.
