Arrested: Man who slapped 6-year-old boy at Westgate playground

SINGAPORE: A 38-year-old man who slapped a six-year-old boy at a mall playground at Jurong East a few days before Christmas was arrested. The boy had allegedly got into a fight with a girl at the playground, which led to the girl’s father slapping the boy.

The incident occurred at Westgate shopping mall shortly past 2:30 pm on Dec 22, 2024, according to a report in Shin Min Daily News.

A man named Cai Zhenwei said that his wife and a friend brought their son to the mall playground. The boy grew upset with the girl after she reportedly knocked over a castle he had been building. The report quotes witnesses as saying that the two children argued and then the boy kicked the girl.

Witnesses also saw the girl’s father slapping the boy.

Mr Cai’s wife did not see the kick and the slap, as she had been talking with her friend at the time of the incident. However, the girl’s father approached her, angry at what her son had done. The mum then apologised to him.

Shortly afterwards, she saw that her son was crying and had a red mark on his cheek. A bystander who had seen what happened then told her that the girl’s father had slapped the boy. His mum then went up to the man to confront him. However, he said that he did not slap the boy.

After this, she called the police, who confirmed to the media that a 38-year-old man had been arrested for voluntarily causing hurt. Since the victim in this case is a child less than 14 years old, the man may receive enhanced penalties.

Mr Cai, who shared a photo of the incident with Shin Min Daily News, said that his son was fearful after what happened at the mall playground and kept crying. His parents decided to send him to the hospital for a check-up. Fortunately, he was physically fine and was sent home afterwards.

The boy’s father has also been quoted as saying that after the incident, the young boy has been having nightmares. He added that while children at times can get into fights, the girl’s father should not have hit the boy, especially since he is so much bigger than the child.

The featured photo above is from Freepik (for illustration purposes only). /TISG

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