Lawsuit over alleged abuse of special needs child in Batu Kawa learning centre settled amicably
As part of the settlement terms, the learning centre and the teacher involved issued separate public apologies. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (May 16): A civil lawsuit involving a learning centre in Batu Kawa here concerning allegations of assault and abuse against a six-year-old girl with special needs on June 18, 2024 has been amicably settled in court.
As part of the settlement terms, the learning centre and the teacher involved issued separate public apologies.
In a statement dated May 9, 2025, the principal of the institution extended an unreserved and unconditional apology to the child, her mother, and their family on behalf of the centre.
The principal stated that the teacher's behaviour was entirely inappropriate and unacceptable, and that the institution fully acknowledged the emotional and physical trauma suffered by the child and her family.
Immediate disciplinary action was taken, including the termination of the staff member involved, and a comprehensive internal review was also conducted to strengthen child protection policies and monitoring protocols.
Separately, the teacher issued a public apology via her personal social media account, admitting that her actions during the incident were improper and expressing remorse for her conduct.
The teacher also conveyed regret that her actions had tarnished the reputation of the learning centre and caused distress to all parties concerned.
The learning centre, its principal, and the teacher subsequently agreed to provide compensation to the child and her mother for the incident.
The child and her mother were represented by lawyers Russell Lim, Brendan Ting, and Lai Eddy, while the learning centre, its principal, and the teacher were represented by Muhammad Zharif and Zaharah Malim.
Earlier media reports stated that the child's mother noticed swelling on her daughter's cheek upon her return from the learning centre on June 18, 2024.
When the mother raised the issue with her daughter's teacher, she was informed that the swelling was the result of a fall.
However, the injury caused the child to cry incessantly, prompting her mother to take her to see a doctor, who advised the mother to request access to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the learning centre.
Following several requests, the mother was eventually granted full access to the CCTV recording, which revealed that the teacher had slapped her daughter.
A police report was subsequently lodged, and the child has not returned to the learning centre since the incident.
On Aug 1, 2024, the female teacher, believed to be in her 20s, was brought to court to sign a good behaviour bond under Section 67 of the Criminal Procedure Code, without the family's knowledge.
However, the teacher did not sign the bond, and lawyer Russell Lim later submitted a letter to the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) on Aug 29, 2024 requesting prosecution.
The victim's parents also sought the assistance of Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo regarding the matter.
The issue was subsequently escalated to SUPP president Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, which led to a second response letter from the AGC dated Oct 3, 2024.
Following this, Foo held a press conference on Oct 11, 2024, during which he announced that the police had received new instructions from the Deputy Public Prosecutor to charge the suspect under Section 323 of the Penal Code.
The criminal case under Section 323 of the Penal Code involving the teacher is ongoing and has been scheduled for hearing on June 18 and 19, 2025. Batu Kawa child abuse settled special needs
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