Woman charged with biting, shaking, choking 5-month-old boy over several days in Punggol flat

SINGAPORE - A woman allegedly ill-treated a five-month-old baby boy multiple times between April 2 and 19 by biting, shaking, choking and hitting him.

Lai Yi Phyo, 24, a Myanmar national, was handed a child abuse charge on Oct 13, and is accused of repeatedly ill-treating the boy in a Punggol flat.

According to court documents, she allegedly violently and repeatedly shook the child on April 2.

She is also accused of hitting his head, pinching his cheek and choking him that day.

She allegedly repeatedly hit the child’s head two days later.

On April 7, Lai Yi Phyo purportedly shook him violently, pressed his arms against his chest, and repeatedly slapped him.

She is accused of shaking the child again on April 8.

She also allegedly slapped him, and forcefully pushed a pacifier into his mouth that day.

She purportedly shook the child, repeatedly hit his forehead, flung him onto a bed, forcefully pushed a pacifier into his mouth, and repeatedly slapped him on April 13.

She is accused of forcefully shoving a pacifier into his mouth, and repeatedly pushing his leg the next day.

On April 15, she allegedly bit the baby’s torso and waist.

She purportedly shook the child and threw him onto a bed on April 16.

Lai Yi Phyo is also accused of forcefully pushing a pacifier into his mouth, and repeatedly hitting him on his head, back, and leg that day.

On April 19, she allegedly slapped the infant multiple times, threw him onto the bed, twisted his head, ear, and legs, and shook him.

She was also said to have pinched his cheek and bitten his elbow that day.

Court documents did not disclose the baby’s current condition, and how she was linked to him.

She is expected to plead guilty on Nov 10.

For ill-treating a child, an offender can be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to $8,000, or both.

This was the second child abuse case in court this week involving a baby.

In an unrelated case, a young married couple pleaded guilty on Oct 12 for abusing their eight-month-old infant, Trevor, for most of his life before he died in 2024.

The mother, Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, and the father, Neo Jia Ming, 27, will be sentenced on Oct 21.

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