1-8-2023 (SINGAPORE) A 33-year-old woman is facing serious charges of ill-treating four of her children by splashing hot water on them, resulting in scald burns on their bodies. Due to gag orders safeguarding the children’s identities, the woman’s name cannot be disclosed. On Tuesday (Aug 1), she was presented with four charges of ill-treatment of the children under her care.
The alleged offences occurred on Jul 2 last year, between 6 am and about 9:30 am, at a flat in Tampines, Singapore. The woman is accused of deliberately splashing hot water on her daughters aged eight, 10, and 11, as well as on her nine-year-old son. As a result of her actions, the children sustained “superficial partial thickness” burns, ranging from 1 per cent to 10 per cent of their total body surface area, covering their hands, chest, thighs, or arms.
The charge sheets indicate that the 10-year-old girl suffered the most severe burns, with scalding on her left arm, abdomen, and both thighs.
During the court hearing, the prosecutor requested bail of S$15,000 (approximately US$11,200) for the accused and urged for her not to contact the victims. Currently, the children are being accommodated at a shelter.
The accused, who claimed to be living alone with her children and is divorced, is scheduled to return to court later this month to address the charges against her.
Under the Children and Young Persons Act, if found guilty of ill-treating children in her care, the accused could face a maximum penalty of up to eight years in prison, a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.
