Maid caught on camera slapping, hitting 1-year-old boy almost every day

A couple lodged a police report against their maid after discovering that the latter had been hitting their one-year-old son multiple times a day.

The father-of-two, surnamed Quek, told Shin Min Daily News that he and his wife had hired the Filipino helper last September to help care for their youngest child.

"She said she has children, and hence has experience in looking after kids," recounted the 36-year-old.

The boy attends a childcare centre during the day and returns home at about 7pm. He sleeps with the maid at night, who is also responsible for his night feeds.

Quek said that the childcare centre's principal had informed him and his wife of a bruise on their son's body last December.

When asked, the maid said she did not know about the bruise and suggested it may be a birthmark. The couple did not suspect anything wrong at that time.

On Tuesday (July 23) night, the Queks were getting ready for bed when they heard their youngest son wailing.

"The maid said it was nothing, but I found it strange and checked the CCTV footage of the room, and saw her hitting my son's head," said the father.

He initially thought it was a one-off incident — but the couple were horrified to discover that she had been hitting the boy three to four times almost every day over the past month.

Police investigating

According to clips of the CCTV footage provided to Shin Min, the helper would do so every time the baby cried. In one video, she slaps the boy, hits his head and pulls his hair, before pressing a pacifier into his mouth.

Footage also showed her rough handling the boy when feeding him, once picking him up by his arm. The couple pointed out that the bruises on their son's body are suspected to be inflicted by the maid.

Quek told Shin Min that they did not assigned the helper many chores as they wanted her to focus on taking good care of his youngest son.

"She doesn't need to look after my eldest son and doesn't need to cook... She only needs the morning to clean the rooms, and rests in the afternoon."

Their older son is three years old.

The Queks subsequently called the police, who questioned the maid. The father said the latter denied hitting the boy, until he sent video evidence to the officers.

"After that, she texted me to apologise and asked for my forgiveness. But I don't see any sincerity in her texts," he told Shin Min.

"We believe we treated her well, and never thought she would behave so roughly towards an innocent child. My wife is so heartbroken that she couldn't sleep and go to work."

This incident has also made them have reservations about hiring another helper.

The police confirmed to AsiaOne a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com