Man working at welfare home kicked and shoved 10-year-old resident

SINGAPORE - A 43-year-old man tasked with supervising the behaviour of residents at a welfare home has been hit with a $8,000 fine after he kicked and shoved a 10-year-old boy.

The court heard that he had also abused the child with vulgar language.

The man, who worked as a welfare officer, pleaded guilty on Aug 31 to ill-treating the boy.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir said the man’s position of authority could be seen from the manner in which the victim remained still and silent, even in the face of being assaulted.

He added: “The accused’s abuse is an inversion of that responsibility – modelling the worst possible behaviour for the minors.”

Details about the man and the welfare home cannot be disclosed due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.

The incident happened on Aug 11, 2025. The man’s colleague had alerted him after she saw the boy climbing a parapet on the second storey of the home.

The offender scolded him and threatened to spit at him.

Hidayat said: “He told the victim that (a CCTV camera in the area) was not working, intending this to mean that he would be able to assault the victim without being caught on camera.

“The accused then swivelled his upper body behind and, in doing so, intentionally used his right elbow to hit the left side of the victim’s face. The impact caused the victim to stagger a few steps to his right.”

The man also kicked the child’s left leg and shoved him, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor.

In seeking a fine of between $6,000 and $8,000, the prosecutor noted that the man is a martial arts practitioner.

She said the onus was on him to practise his expertise in the martial arts responsibility – especially towards the minors under his care.

Hidayat added that the man had denigrated the victim by directing Hokkien vulgarities at the child and saying that he could spit at him.

The DPP said there was an element of premeditation.

“The accused took deliberate steps to avoid detection – informing the victim that the (CCTV) camera was not functioning, and visibly checking over his shoulder for witnesses before delivering the blow with his right elbow to the victim’s face,” added the prosecutor.

However, the abuse was caught on camera, and the man was arrested soon after.

The victim went to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital where he was found with tenderness to his back.

Defence lawyer Rajan Supramaniam from Regent Law said that his client had committed the offence due to a lapse in judgement.

He said the man has since sought professional counselling to better understand the factors that led to his wrongful actions against the boy, and has vowed to never break the law again.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.