Former behavioural therapist fined for causing hurt to 4-year-old boy with special needs who hit her

The 29-year-old woman had been hit in the face multiple times by the victim during a lesson.

File photo of the State Courts in Singapore.

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SINGAPORE: A behavioural therapist who was repeatedly hit in the face by a four-year-old boy with special needs grabbed his hand and dragged him off his chair and onto the floor.

Tricia Lee Hsien, a 29-year-old Singaporean, was fined S$5,000 (US$3,900) by a court on Wednesday (Oct 28).

She pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a minor.

The prosecution sought only a fine, saying this was an "exceptional case" as the harm caused was low and the woman's culpability was low in this isolated act of ill-treatment.

Lee was a behavioural therapist at an autism centre that CNA is not naming to abide by a gag order imposed by the court to protect the identity of the victim.

In February 2024, Lee was assigned to conduct lessons with the victim, who lived with his parents.

The victim had a background of Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder that may involve social difficulties, repetitive behaviour and a narrow range of interests.

She conducted lessons twice a week in the victim's bedroom, where his parents had installed a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV).

The victim's parents did not intervene during lessons, even when the boy expressed discomfort through crying or throwing tantrums, as they trusted Lee to manage him, the prosecutor said.

The offence occurred as Lee conducted a lesson for the victim in his bedroom from 3pm on Jun 13, 2024.

At about 5.25pm, they sat at a table and Lee read a book to the victim, pointing to the words and pictures.

The boy began fidgeting in his seat.

Lee then instructed the boy to adopt the "quiet hands" position by placing both hands on the table so he would not act violently or snatch items.

Lee had been trained to use this method to address behavioural issues in her students.

The victim did not comply and instead tried to hold the book.

Lee pulled the book away and instructed him again to place his hands in the required position.

The boy did not comply and instead hit Lee in the face, causing her glasses to fall off.

Lee put her glasses back on and swung her left hand downwards twice, in an aggressive manner.

She forcefully threw the book to the floor, picked it up again and threw it on the table, before throwing it against the wall.

In response, the victim hit Lee's face again.

Lee pointed at the victim and firmly told him not to hit her again.

However, he did so a third time and grabbed her spectacles.

Lee took the glasses back from him and stood up. She then grabbed the boy's hand, dragged him off his chair and onto the bedroom floor, causing him bodily pain.

These actions were captured on CCTV footage.

Lee carried the boy out of the bedroom and told his father that the child had hit her face.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts to calm his son down, the boy's father decided to end the session for the day.

When the boy's mother was told about the incident, she reviewed CCTV footage and was shocked when she discovered Lee's actions.

She contacted the centre where Lee worked and was assured by the principal that her employment would be terminated.

The victim's mother then reported the incident to the police. The boy was taken to hospital but assessed to be normal, with no gross external injuries.

Lee was fired and investigated by the police.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang sought a fine of S$5,000 to S$6,000.

He said while offences involving child abuse are serious, this case was exceptional as the harm caused was low and the victim sustained no documented injuries.

The offence was also an isolated act which took place over "mere seconds", said Mr Ang.

Lee was represented by Mr Low Cheong Yeow, who said his client's intention was to take the victim to his father, who was in the living room.

"She had wanted to get the victim's father's help in calming the victim down, as she had not been able to do so," said Mr Low.

"That was what was on her mind. And what she did in order to achieve that objective, she had not thought through carefully."

In sentencing, Principal District Judge Toh Yung Cheong accepted that Lee's culpability was low.

"The SOF (statement of facts) reveals you only committed the offence after being hit in the face," said the judge.

"At the same time, you were a behavioural therapist. You were aware of the victim's condition and could have taken other steps to deal with the situation," he said.

For voluntarily causing hurt, Lee could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

As the offence was against a minor below the age of 14, she faced up to double the maximum penalties.

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这名29岁的女子在上课期间被受害者多次击中面部。

新加坡国家法院的资料照片。

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：一名行为治疗师被一名四岁特殊儿童反复击打面部，他抓住孩子的手，将他从椅子上拖到地上。

29岁的新加坡人李贤贤（Tricia Lee Hsien）于周三（10月28日）被法庭罚款5000新加坡元（3900美元）。

她承认犯有一项故意伤害未成年人的罪名。

检方只要求处以罚款，称这是一起“特殊案件”，因为造成的伤害较小，而且这起孤立的虐待行为中，该女子的罪责也较小。

李某曾是一家自闭症中心的行为治疗师，CNA 为遵守法院为保护受害者身份而颁布的禁言令，不透露该中心的名称。

2024年2月，李被指派给受害者上课，受害者当时和父母住在一起。

受害者患有阿斯伯格综合征，这是一种自闭症谱系障碍，可能伴有社交困难、重复行为和狭窄的兴趣范围。

她每周两次在受害者的卧室里授课，而受害者的父母在那里安装了闭路电视摄像头（CCTV）。

检察官说，受害者的父母在上课期间没有干预，即使男孩哭闹或发脾气表示不适，因为他们相信李老师能够管好他。

犯罪行为发生在 2024 年 6 月 13 日下午 3 点，当时李某在其卧室为受害者授课。

下午 5 点 25 分左右，他们坐在桌旁，李给受害者读书，一边读一边指着书上的文字和图片。

男孩开始在座位上不安地扭动起来。

李老师随后指示男孩将双手放在桌子上，摆出“安静的手”姿势，这样他就不会有暴力行为或抢夺物品。

李老师接受过相关培训，能够运用这种方法来解决学生的行为问题。

受害者没有服从，反而试图抓住那本书。

李把书拿开，再次指示他将双手放在正确的位置。

男孩没有服从，反而打了李的脸，导致她的眼镜掉了下来。

李戴上眼镜，然后以咄咄逼人的方式向下挥动左手两次。

她用力把书扔到地上，又捡起来扔到桌子上，然后又扔到墙上。

作为回应，受害者再次打了李的脸。

李指着受害者，严厉地告诉他不许再打她。

然而，他第三次这么做了，一把抢走了她的眼镜。

李从他手中拿回眼镜，站了起来。然后她抓住男孩的手，把他从椅子上拖下来，摔到卧室的地板上，导致他身体疼痛。

这些行为都被监控录像拍了下来。

李把男孩抱出卧室，告诉他父亲孩子打了她的脸。

在多次尝试安抚儿子未果后，男孩的父亲决定结束当天的课程。

男孩的母亲得知此事后，查看了监控录像，发现李的行为后感到震惊。

她联系了李工作的中心，校长向她保证会终止她的雇佣关系。

受害者的母亲随后向警方报案。男孩被送往医院，经检查一切正常，没有明显的外伤。

李被解雇并接受了警方调查。

副检察官达伦·昂要求处以 5000 新元至 6000 新元的罚款。

他表示，虽然涉及虐待儿童的罪行性质严重，但此案较为特殊，因为造成的伤害较小，受害者也没有受到任何有记录的伤害。

Ang先生表示，这起犯罪行为是一起孤立事件，只持续了“短短几秒钟”。

李的代理律师是刘昌耀先生，刘先生表示，他的当事人打算把受害者带到他父亲那里，当时他父亲正在客厅里。

“她原本想请受害者的父亲帮忙安抚受害者，因为她自己没能做到，”罗先生说。

“她当时就是这么想的。而为了达到这个目的，她所做的一切，她并没有经过深思熟虑。”

在量刑时，首席地方法官杜永昌接受了李某罪责较轻的说法。

法官说：“事实陈述显示，你是在脸部被打之后才犯下罪行的。”

“与此同时，你还是一名行为治疗师。你了解受害者的状况，本可以采取其他措施来处理这种情况，”他说。

李某因故意伤人罪，最高可被判处三年监禁、5000 新元罚款，或两者并罚。

由于犯罪对象是14岁以下的未成年人，她将面临最高刑罚的两倍。

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