Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly

Her actions caused the child to fall on her face in one instance, causing a nose bleed

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

A former pre-school teacher was sentenced to nine months and two weeks' jail on July 28 for tripping a 20-month-old girl four times.

Saiidah Kamarudin's actions caused the child to fall on her face in one instance, causing a nose bleed.

Saiidah, 34, who has two children of her own, had pleaded guilty in June to one count of ill-treating the toddler.

Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Tan Jen Tse noted that the young victim could not articulate what the offender had done to her.

He also said Saiidah had demonstrated persistence, noting that she stopped tripping the girl only when the child became injured.

In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie told the court that the Singaporean committed the offence shortly after she tendered her resignation on Oct 12, 2023.

Details about the pre-school have been redacted from court documents.