29-07-2025
Preschool teacher who tripped toddler 4 times till she bled from nose jailed, Singapore News
A former preschool teacher was sentenced to nine months and two weeks' jail on Monday (July 28) for repeatedly tripping a toddler at the centre where she worked.
Her actions caused the girl to suffer bruises to her face and bleeding from the nose, reported The Straits times and CNA.
Saiidah Kamarudin, 34, had pleaded guilty in June to one of two counts of ill-treating the 20-month-old girl in the case which occurred in November 2023. The other charge was taken into consideration for her sentencing.
Media reports did not name the victim and the childcare centre, to protect the girl's identity.
Saiidah, a mother of two herself, had started working at the centre in late September but tendered her resignation a month later.
On Nov 6, while serving her notice, she had taken the victim to the toilet area to clean her up. While seated with the girl in front of her, Saiidah swept her right leg outwards, which caught the toddler's left foot, causing her to stumble.
She repeated the action, which resulted in the girl falling backwards onto the floor. Saiidah picked her up and continued to clean her face.
Saiidah did the same thing for the third time as the pair were walking out of the area, with the victim walking in front of her. The girl managed to regain her balance after stumbling and did not fall.
The former teacher made one more attempt to trip the girl, this time catching both of her legs. The toddler fell on her face and cried.
Footage of the incident caught on CCTV was played in court, reported CNA.
According to The Straits Times, the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Cheah Wenjie had stated in court last month that the victim was found to be bleeding from her right nostril and there was a bruise under her nose.
The girl's parents took her to a doctor on Nov 8 and filed a police report two days later. They also asked to see CCTV footage of the incident.
Saiidah was arrested on April 18, 2024.
On July 28, the prosecution had urged the court to sentence her to a jail term of between 15 and 16 months, calling her actions "deliberate and calculated", as well as a "disturbing breach of trust by a childcare professional".
DPP Cheah also pointed out that the child was unable to tell anyone of the offences as she could not speak.
In her defence, Saiidah's lawyer Deepak Netverlal from Crown Juris Law argued that a jail term was not warranted, and that his client is remorseful for her actions.
He also highlighted the circumstances behind her resignation, including how her feedback on issues at the school were ignored and she was made to feel "like an outcast" and "not good enough" by other staff members.
"The accused acknowledges that she could have behaved better and that it was a solitary incident wherein she had lost her sense of judgment," he added.
According to the Children and Young Persons Act, anyone found guilty of ill-treating a child may be jailed up to eight years, or fined up to $8,000, or both.
[[nid:717727]]
candicecai@
