In a report that has many parents shocked and fearful, a 5-year-old boy was assaulted by a man in a minimart along Rivervale Crescent.
According to the video, you can see a young boy riding a scooter inside a small store. At some point, a man in a blue shirt walks past, but there seems to be a problem.
Later in the video, it shows the boy in the shot then the same man in a blue shirt suddenly appears on screen and pulls a fast one on the boy, slapping him quickly. According to the boy’s mother, Vivien Chan, the man also allegedly kicked the boy, but was thwarted by the nanny who was also at the minimart.
After trying to find the culprit, Vivien asked the police to get involved, but the man is still at large as of publishing. The police, however, have issued a statement regarding the incident to various news outlets online:
”On Jan 6, 2018, the police received a report that a 5 year-old boy was slapped by an unknown man at Block 182A Rivervale Crescent. Based on the preliminary details and statements of the parties concerned, the case was classified as Voluntarily Causing Hurt, under section 323 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which is a non-arrestable offence.
“The Police have interviewed the man and have engaged the parents of the boy to provide updates on the case.
“Investigations into the case are ongoing. The Police take a serious view of such incidents involving vulnerable victims like children and the elderly, and will not hesitate to take action against the perpetrator.”
The statement was put out after Vivien’s Facebook post on the incident went viral, where she mentioned her dissatisfaction of how the police are handling the case.
According to her post, her husband had gotten disappointing answers when asking an Investigative Officer on what could be done against the man. In an earlier part of her post, she said that they (as the parents) had provided all the information they could about the investigation, which included:
- Witness accounts
- CCTV Footage
- The suspect’s address
On her post, Vivien also said that her husband encountered an investigation officer that said, “Have you said enough? I’m busy.”
What do netizens think of the incident?
As expected, Singaporeans have weighed in on the incident. Here are some of their comments on what’s happened:
People weren’t quick to agree with Vivien’s post on why her kid was hurt.
While others said that the man should have just scolded the child instead of hurting him.
Some said they also hate children riding scooters in the supermarket. 
Others put the fault at the parent’s feet. 
Some said that the kid completely deserved the abuse and had some opinions on the mother. 
Others understood why the man got mad but he was supposed to handle the situation a bit better. 
And some took 
What do you think of the man’s actions and Vivien’s Facebook post? Let us know in the comments!
Parents totally at fault for not being able to discipline child. There are places where you can play your scooter and there are places where you are not supposed to play. What kind of parents are these. Surely the kid did something wrong that angered the man. If the man had slapped the child for no apparent reason then he is lunatic and must be kept away from the public. The parent who bought the toy for the child would have surely told their child not play on the road coz it’s dangerous but why condone the kid to play it in the supermarket? Is it because it’s a cooler playground there or your kid has every right to be a nuisance to the people there. Surely the father also created a nuisance for IO to warrant such a remark. Please la for God’s sake when they say they’re going to investigate let them do their job and stop harping on what will the police do to the man. The police will come back to you on their course of actions when they are done investigating.