Police probing case of girl, 15, who lived in Circuit Road market stall

The police are investigating a case of a teenager found living in a wet market stall for almost a year.

- Nadine Chua

Stall owners at the Circuit Road Market and Food Centre said the girl, who barely spoke and merely gestured, relieved herself in pails in the stall as she would not leave even to use the toilet.

They said she lived in the stall, which measures around two by three metres, with her father who rented it.

The Sunday Times understands that the girl and her father are Singapore permanent residents.

The stall owners, who declined to be named, said National Environment Agency (NEA) officers conducting checks at the market in early April noticed the girl.

The police said they received a call for assistance on April 4 at Block 80 Circuit Road, which is the address of the market.

A 63-year-old man is assisting with investigations into ill-treatment of a child or young person by neglect under the Children and Young Persons Act, said the police.

Those convicted can be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to $8,000, or both.

A Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) spokesman said NEA reported the case to the ministry's Child Protective Service (CPS) on April 3.