Former infant care teacher jailed for force-feeding toddler until she vomited

SINGAPORE: A former infant care teacher was sentenced to 14 months' jail on Wednesday (Jul 8) for force-feeding a toddler until she vomited.

When an informant reported that child abuse was taking place at the preschool, a review of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage revealed that the same teacher had been rough towards two babies.

The 37-year-old Singaporean woman pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating a child in her care, with another two similar charges taken into consideration.

The woman cannot be named as the court imposed gag orders on her identity and the identity of the victim, which covers the name of the preschool.

THE CASE

The court heard that the woman was an infant care teacher at the preschool from 2022 to Oct 2, 2024.

She was tasked with caring for about 10 infants who were aged between two and 18 months. Her duties included changing diapers, feeding and conducting activities and lessons.

A couple enrolled their daughter at the school from February 2024.

On Sep 23, 2024, the woman was caring for the girl, who was then 12 months old, along with three other infants.

At about 11.50am that day, the woman took the four children into the preschool's nap room to drink milk and sleep.

Each child was placed on a mattress and given a milk bottle to drink from.

At about 11.56am, the victim stopped drinking but left milk in her bottle. 

The teacher noticed this and put the bottle back in the girl's mouth. The girl turned her head away and refused to drink.

The teacher took the child into her lap and tried to feed her again, but the girl would not drink. Instead, she began to cry.

The teacher held the bottle to the girl's mouth a few times but the toddler refused to drink. She struggled, turning her head around and kicking.

The teacher then placed the child back on her mattress and patted her back a few times to calm her down so that she could finish her milk.

After trying a few more times, the teacher used her hand to hold the child's head while pushing the bottle into her mouth.

She also pressed down on her head and force-fed the child by squeezing milk into her mouth.

The toddler spat the milk out. When she later struggled, the teacher hit her body with her hand.

The teacher then force-fed the victim for two minutes, causing the child to kick her legs and swing her arms.

The child vomited over the mattress and floor after the teacher briefly removed the bottle.

In response, the teacher hit the child's head with her hand, pulled her upwards by her hands and carried her off the mattress in order to remove the bedsheet.

The woman hit the victim's back three times before taking the child out of the room.

She later admitted to doing these acts as she was upset that the toddler was crying a lot.

On Sep 26, 2024, an unidentified informant reported child abuse at the school.

Preschool staff reviewed the CCTV footage and uncovered numerous incidents involving the accused and another staff member.

The accused was fired that same day, and the other staff member was fired a few days later.

The school referred the case to the Early Childhood Development Agency, which conducted further investigations against the pair.

The accused's acts were captured on CCTV. The footage also revealed that she had committed rough acts against a 10-month-old girl and an eight-month-old boy on Sep 25, 2024.

The prosecutor sought 14 to 16 months' jail for the woman, saying that children are unable to fend for themselves and are among the most vulnerable members of society.

He said the accused's actions exhibited a high degree of callousness as she kept making the child drink milk even though the victim showed numerous signs that she did not want to.

For ill-treating a child in her care, the woman could have been jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000 (US$6,200), or both.