School bus attendant fined $1,000 for slapping pupil

SINGAPORE - A school bus attendant who slapped a nine-year-old pupil four times on her cheeks was fined $1,000 on Thursday.

Leong Siew Yin, 46, pleaded guilty to hurting the Primary 4 pupil in the school hall of the primary school on Jan 30 last year.

Two other charges of using criminal force by pulling the girl by her uniform shirt collar were taken into consideration in sentencing.

The court heard that two days before the incident, Leong received a call from a teacher informing her that her daughter, who was in the same school, had disturbed and scolded the pupil in question. She received another complaint from the teacher the next day.

On Jan 30 at about 1.20pm, the principal and vice-principal of the school met and spoke to Leong as they had received complaints and feedback concerning Leong's own behaviour towards the victim, which included scolding her and pulling her by her uniform collar in the course of her work.

At about 1.45pm that day, Leong approached the victim at the canteen and told her to follow her to the school hall.

The girl sensed that something was amiss and tried to leave but Leong pulled her by the collar to the back of the hall where she slapped her four times on her cheeks.

She warned the girl not to tell anyone about what she had done but she did not realise four of the victim's schoolmates had followed her to the school hall and saw what she did.

The next day, the girl informed her mother who lodged a police report.

In mitigation, Leong's lawyer said she had learned that the girl had first hit her daughter with a recorder.

Leong could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000.

This article was first published on January 7, 2016.
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