Man gets jail for slapping 4-year-old boy at bus stop in front of other preschool kids

The offender pursued the four-year-old to a nearby bus stop after becoming angry when the boy pointed his middle finger at him.

Firdhaus Mokhtar leaves the State Courts on Sep 30, 2026. (Photo: CNA)

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SINGAPORE: A man went to a preschool to pick up his son and became angry when his child's four-year-old schoolmate pointed the middle finger at him.

He pursued the boy to a nearby bus stop that was crowded with other young kids, grabbed the boy by the arm and slapped him hard on both cheeks.

The boy suffered bruises on his face and ringing in his ear, on top of emotional trauma that lingered for months and required his parents to change his preschool.

The aggressor, Muhammad Firdhaus Mokhtar, was sentenced to 14 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Sep 30). He was also ordered to pay S$170 (US$133) in compensation to the mother of the victim, who was in court to watch his sentencing.

Firdhaus pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt and using criminal force on a minor, with a third charge taken into consideration.

At about noon on Mar 6 this year, Firdhaus went to his son's preschool to pick the boy up. The name of the preschool was redacted in accordance with the gag order, which prevents the publishing of anything that can identify the victim.

Firdhaus' son was playing with the victim when the victim pointed his middle finger at Firdhaus.

Firdhaus was angered and called the boy to come over but the boy ignored him and skipped towards his domestic helper.

The maid was waiting at a bus stop outside the school where other preschool children, including the victim's friends, were waiting.

Firdhaus followed the boy to the bus stop and grabbed him by the arm.

When the boy tried to break free, Firdhaus told the maid to inform his parents not to let him point his middle finger at others and threatened to slap him.

The boy tried to hide behind a pillar, but Firdhaus pulled him out by his collar and slapped him on the right cheek with the back of his hand.

He then slapped the boy's left cheek and ear with such force that the child fell to the ground.

When the maid tried to help the boy up and pull him away, Firdhaus kept his grip on the boy's arm.

He shoved a finger in the boy's face, threatening to break his finger and shouting that he would return for him on Monday.

Firdhaus then swung the boy backwards, causing him to stumble backwards, before leaving.

The assault was witnessed by members of the public at the bus stop, including several preschool children, and captured on police camera footage.

The maid brought the crying boy home, where his mother noticed redness around his ears, cheeks and jaw.

At the hospital, he was found to have bruises on both cheeks and was discharged with a five-day course of paracetamol for pain relief.

The hospital lodged a police report.

IMPACT ON THE VICTIM

Shaken by the assault, the boy wept twice in his sleep that night and dared not go to school for the next few days.

In the months after the assault, he asked his mother anxiously whether the next day was Monday and whether he had to go to school.

He feared going to school because "I am scared the uncle will slap me hard again".

His parents eventually transferred him to another school.

But he continued to have flashbacks of the assault and cried for prolonged periods. He also continues to have nightmares of the assault to this day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Etsuko Lim sought four to six months' jail, listing multiple aggravating factors including the sustained aggression and the viciousness of the slaps.

She said Firdhaus was brazen, slapping the child in broad daylight at a crowded bus stop, alarming and shocking bystanders.

The assault was also "deeply scarring" on the young victim, who would have taken the threat to break his finger seriously since he had also made good the threat to slap him.

Firdhaus was represented by Mr Daryl Lim from the Public Defender's Office, who said there was no version of events that day that was "acceptable by any means".

"A young child was hurt both physically and emotionally, and my client does own that fully," he said.

MOTHER OF VICTIM ADDRESSES COURT

The mother of the victim was in court with family members.

She told the court that although her son was recovering, he was not "recovering fully" as he still has nightmares. His confidence level has also gone down, she said.

"I must say that I'm very perturbed with this incident," said the woman while Firdhaus stood stiffly in the dock.

"We had to engage in a lot of activities to keep him occupied to gain his confidence back again, to assure him that things are as normal," she said.

"It also perturbs me to the fact that, now, it puts the puzzle into the picture on why my son has been asking (about) Monday," said the boy's mother.

"Because I've never known from him that he actually was being threatened to (have his finger broken) or (that the accused would) see him on the following Monday."

She said she did not want to prolong her son's distress, especially since the other child involved was his classmate and had been in the same class as her son since playgroup.

"As (his) mother, I felt that we want to have a closure for him," said the woman. "And we also hope that the accused will acknowledge the harm that he caused and apologise to (my son)."

She said that while an apology cannot undo what happened or restore her son's sense of safety, it is important to the family.

Firdhaus then apologised to the victim's family in court.

"To the victim's family and everybody in the court, I wish to sincerely apologise for the actions that I did, and I hope you really forgive me and also give me a chance to be a better man in the future," he said.

The victim's mother also asked to see the footage of the assault, but was told to ask the investigating officer.

District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan said inflicting such raw violence on a young victim was "a vile and intolerable act".

"Such violence would not have been morally justified, had the accused committed the same acts against his own children at home, let alone a child he was not even acquainted with in a public and crowded setting where other children were present," he said.

He agreed with the prosecution on several of the aggravating factors, saying the emotional turmoil suffered by the victim and his family was "particularly weighty".

Firdhaus asked to defer his jail term until Nov 13 as his wife, who was also in court, is 23 weeks' pregnant.

His lawyer said the couple have a hospital appointment on Nov 12 as the foetus remains in a breech position. They will obtain advice on whether this will necessitate an earlier delivery.

The judge noted that granting the request may lead to further applications for deferment, such as if Firdhaus' wife requires surgery.

However, he granted the application when Firdhaus gave his word that he would surrender on Nov 13 and not seek further deferments.

The judge allowed the victim's family to leave the courtroom first before allowing Firdhaus and his wife to leave.

For voluntarily causing hurt to a minor, he could have been jailed for up to six years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

For using criminal force on a minor, he could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$3,000, or both.

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这名罪犯因四岁男孩向他竖中指而恼怒，并追赶这名男孩至附近的公交车站。

2026年9月30日，菲尔德豪斯·莫克塔尔离开国家法院。（图片：中央社）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：一名男子去幼儿园接儿子，结果孩子四岁的同学朝他竖起了中指，这让他非常生气。

他追着男孩来到附近一个挤满了其他小孩的公交车站，抓住男孩的胳膊，狠狠地扇了他两巴掌。

男孩面部瘀伤，耳鸣不止，此外还遭受了持续数月的精神创伤，迫使他的父母更换了幼儿园。

施暴者穆罕默德·菲尔德豪斯·莫克塔尔于周三（9月30日）被判处14周监禁。他还被勒令向受害者的母亲支付170新加坡元（133美元）的赔偿金，受害者的母亲到庭旁听了判决。

Firdhaus 对一项故意伤害未成年人罪和一项对未成年人使用暴力罪认罪，第三项指控被考虑在内。

今年3月6日中午左右，菲尔德豪斯去儿子的幼儿园接孩子。根据禁言令，幼儿园的名称已被隐去，该禁言令禁止发布任何可能识别受害者身份的信息。

菲尔德豪斯的儿子当时正在和受害者玩耍，受害者却向菲尔德豪斯竖起了中指。

菲尔德豪斯很生气，叫男孩过来，但男孩不理他，蹦蹦跳跳地朝他的家佣走去。

女佣当时正在学校外的公交车站等车，其他学龄前儿童，包括受害者的朋友，也都在那里等车。

菲尔德豪斯跟着男孩来到公交车站，抓住他的胳膊。

当男孩试图挣脱时，菲尔德豪斯让女佣告诉他的父母，不许他向别人竖中指，并威胁要打他。

男孩试图躲在柱子后面，但菲尔德豪斯揪住他的衣领把他拽了出来，用手背打了他的右脸颊。

然后他用力扇了男孩左脸颊和耳朵一巴掌，孩子被打倒在地。

当女仆试图扶起男孩并把他拉开时，费尔德豪斯仍然紧紧抓住男孩的胳膊。

他把一根手指戳到男孩的脸上，威胁要掰断他的手指，并大喊星期一会回来找他。

然后，菲尔德豪斯将男孩向后甩去，导致男孩踉跄后退，之后便离开了。

袭击事件发生时，公交车站的公众目睹了整个过程，其中包括几名学龄前儿童，警方的摄像机也拍下了这一幕。

女佣把哭泣的男孩带回家，男孩的母亲发现他耳朵、脸颊和下巴周围都红肿了。

在医院，医生发现他双颊都有瘀伤，并给他开了五天的扑热息痛疗程以缓解疼痛，之后让他出院了。

医院已向警方报案。

对受害者的影响

男孩因这次袭击而受到惊吓，当晚睡梦中哭了两次，接下来的几天都不敢去上学。

在袭击事件发生后的几个月里，他焦急地问妈妈第二天是不是星期一，他是不是要去上学。

他害怕去上学，因为“我害怕叔叔会再次狠狠地打我”。

他的父母最终把他转到了另一所学校。

但他仍然会反复想起那次袭击，并长时间哭泣。直到今天，他仍然会做关于那次袭击的噩梦。

副检察官林悦子要求判处四至六个月监禁，并列举了多项加重情节，包括持续的攻击行为和掌掴的恶毒程度。

她说，菲尔德豪斯胆大妄为，光天化日之下在拥挤的公交车站打孩子，令旁观者感到震惊和恐惧。

这次袭击也给年轻的受害者留下了“深深的创伤”，因为他之前还威胁要打断他的手指，所以他肯定把这个威胁当真了。

Firdhaus 的代表是来自公共辩护律师办公室的 Daryl Lim 先生，他表示，当天发生的任何事件版本都“无论如何都无法接受”。

“一个幼童受到了身心伤害，我的当事人对此负有全部责任，”他说。

受害者母亲在法庭上发言

受害者的母亲和家人一起出庭了。

她告诉法庭，虽然儿子正在康复，但并未“完全康复”，因为他仍然会做噩梦。她说，儿子的自信心也下降了。

“我必须说，我对这起事件感到非常不安，”那名女子说道，而菲尔德豪斯则僵硬地站在被告席上。

“我们必须安排很多活动让他忙起来，以此来恢复他的信心，让他相信一切都恢复正常了，”她说。

“这也让我感到不安，因为现在，这解开了我儿子为什么一直问起星期一的谜团，”男孩的母亲说。

“因为我从未从他口中得知他真的受到威胁要打断他的手指，或者被告会在下周一见到他。”

她说她不想让儿子的痛苦持续太久，尤其是因为涉事的另一个孩子是她儿子的同学，而且从游戏小组开始就和她儿子在同一个班级。

“作为他的母亲，我觉得我们希望这件事能有个了结，”这位母亲说。“我们也希望被告能够承认他造成的伤害，并向（我的儿子）道歉。”

她说，虽然道歉无法改变已经发生的事情，也无法恢复她儿子的安全感，但这对这个家庭来说很重要。

随后，菲尔德豪斯在法庭上向受害者家属道歉。

他说：“对于受害者的家属和法庭上的所有人，我真诚地为我的行为道歉，我希望你们能够真正原谅我，也希望你们能给我一个机会，让我将来成为一个更好的人。”

受害者的母亲也要求查看袭击事件的录像，但被告知要向调查警官询问。

地方法官库志轩表示，对一名年轻受害者施加如此残忍的暴力是“卑鄙无耻、不可容忍的行为”。

他说：“如果被告在家中对自己的孩子实施同样的暴力行为，这种暴力行为在道德上是站不住脚的，更不用说在公共场所、人多拥挤、还有其他孩子在场的情况下，对一个他甚至都不认识的孩子实施同样的暴力行为了。”

他同意检方提出的几项加重情节，称受害者及其家人所遭受的情感创伤“尤其沉重”。

菲尔德豪斯请求将他的监禁刑期推迟到 11 月 13 日，因为他的妻子（也出庭了）已经怀孕 23 周。

他的律师表示，由于胎儿仍为臀位，这对夫妇已预约11月12日到医院就诊。他们将咨询医生是否需要提前分娩。

法官指出，批准该请求可能会导致进一步的延期申请，例如如果 Firdhaus 的妻子需要手术。

然而，当菲尔德豪斯承诺将于 11 月 13 日投降且不再寻求进一步延期时，他批准了该申请。

法官先允许受害者家属离开法庭，然后才允许菲尔德豪斯和他的妻子离开。

他因故意伤害未成年人，最高可被判处六年监禁、10000 新元罚款，或两者并罚。

对未成年人使用暴力，他可能被判处最高六个月监禁，罚款最高 3000 新元，或两者并罚。

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