SINGAPORE: A former preschool teacher was charged in court on Wednesday (Jul 31) with kicking a four-year-old girl, three months after the incident allegedly occurred.
The 56-year-old Singaporean woman was handed one count of ill-treating a child under her care by kicking her right shin at about 11.55am on Apr 2.
The woman was suspended after the incident and later resigned, with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) stating that she had not worked in the preschool sector since.
According to past reports, the woman allegedly kicked the child to make her sit properly.
The woman’s name was redacted from court documents and a gag order was imposed by the court to prevent publication of anything that might identify the victim, including the location of the incident.
She did not make any indication of how she would plead on Wednesday.
The defence said they would apply to view the closed-circuit television footage.
The woman will return to court in September.
If convicted of ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act, she could be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000 (US$6,000) or both.
ECDA previously said it took “regulatory actions against the preschool operator and teacher involved”.
News of the case broke after a spate of alleged abuse in preschools, with ECDA later announcing that CCTVs would be required at all preschools.