Man punched son’s classmate, 6, thinking the boy had kicked his son

SINGAPORE – Unhappy when he heard that his son had been kicked, a private-hire driver confronted his child’s six-year-old classmate and punched the boy in the face.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Phua told the court that the victim fell backwards after he was punched.

He added: “Thankfully, the victim did not hit his head on the floor as his grandmother was holding on to (his) hand.”

The victim, who cannot be named due to a gag order, later went to Bukit Batok Polyclinic, where he was assessed to be well, with no obvious signs of significant injuries.

His 53-year-old assailant pleaded guilty to one count of assault on June 28. He has since made full restitution of $440.65, which was the cost of the victim’s medical treatment.

The offender is not named as doing so could lead to the identification of both his son and his then classmate.

At the time of the offence, the two boys were classmates at an enrichment centre.

On Oct 18, 2023, the man and his wife drove to the centre in a car to pick up their son at around 9pm.

The mother alighted and returned to the vehicle soon after with the boy. She told her husband that, according to a teacher, somebody had kicked their son.

The DPP said: “The accused claimed that he stopped his car, made a check and noticed that (his son’s) left groin had redness. The accused decided to drive his car back to (the centre) so that his wife could ask the teacher about the matter.

“When his wife returned, she told the accused that (the teacher) was unable to tell her what had exactly happened.”

The man then decided to head to the centre to clarify the matter himself.

At around the same time, another woman was about to leave the vicinity with her grandson when the man confronted the boy and asked him if he had kicked his son.

Court documents did not state if the victim had actually kicked the man’s son.

“According to a witness, before the victim or anyone else could react, the accused used his right hand to punch the victim on his face once,” said DPP Phua.

The witness alerted the police shortly after 9.20pm that day.

Court documents did not disclose what happened next, but they stated that the victim went to Bukit Batok Polyclinic the next day.

His assailant will be sentenced on July 18.

For assaulting a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to six years and fined up to $10,000.