Former Preschool Teacher Who Force-Fed Children Water Jailed for Child Abuse
A former Mandarin teacher from a Kinderland preschool in Singapore has been sentenced to 17 months and two weeks in jail for abusing four children, including force-feeding two of them water.
Lin Min, 35, pleaded guilty to three counts of child ill-treatment, with three additional charges considered. The victims, aged between one and three, remain unidentified due to a gag order.
During sentencing, District Judge John Ng rejected the defense’s argument that Lin acted out of concern for the children’s well-being, stating that her actions demonstrated a clear disregard for their safety. However, he acknowledged that Lin had not acted with malice. While physical harm was minimal, the psychological trauma inflicted on the victims, their parents, and other children who witnessed the incidents was significant.
The court took into account Lin’s guilty plea, her lack of prior criminal history, and her two-week remand at the Institute of Mental Health in 2023. Following the verdict, Lin requested a one-week deferment of her sentence to arrange care for her child.
Lin's case gained public attention in 2023 when videos of the incidents surfaced online, leading to her dismissal and a ban from working in the preschool sector. Court documents revealed that in June 2023, she forced a nearly two-year-old girl to lie down and poured water into her mouth, causing the child to cough and choke. After the incident, the girl reportedly woke up at night crying and expressing fear of her teacher.
In another instance, Lin aggressively tried to force a two-year-old boy to drink water by holding his head back. The boy later experienced nightmares related to the incident.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jotham Tay described Lin’s actions as having an “obvious element of cruelty,” while her lawyer, Kalidass Murugaiyan, argued that Lin had been concerned about dehydration rather than acting out of malice.
Under the law, Lin could have faced up to eight years in prison and a fine of up to S$8,000 (US$6,000) for each charge of child ill-treatment.
コメント