S'pore man, 37, slaps boy, 4, for pointing middle finger, threatens to break finger, says he will return on Monday - Mothership

On Mar. 6 at about 12pm, Muhammad Firdhaus Mokhtar went to pick up his four-year-old son from preschool.

The victim and Firdhaus’ son had been playing catch when the victim pointed his middle finger at Firdhaus.

Firdhaus would then grab the boy's arm, and threatened to slap him.

The boy tried to hide behind a pillar, but was pulled out by his collar and slapped on his right cheek by Firdhaus.

He slapped the boy’s left cheek and ear so hard that the boy fell down, and experienced ringing in his ear, reported The Straits Times (ST).

The helper tried to intervene, but Firdhaus held on to the boy’s arm.

He threatened to break the boy’s finger, and said that he would come back for him on Monday, before swinging the boy backwards, causing him to stumble.

The boy was later found to have bruises on both cheeks and was discharged with a five-day course of paracetamol for pain relief, CNA reported.

According to CNA, the boy has had nightmares following the incident. He would anxiously ask his mother whether the next day was Monday and would fear returning to school.

His parents eventually transferred him to a different school.

On Sep. 30, 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.

According to ST, he was sentenced to 14 weeks’ jail and ordered to pay S$170 in compensation to the mother of the victim, the cost of his medical bills.

According to CNA, the mother, who was present at the proceedings, said the part about Firdhaus threatening to break her son's finger, and the Monday threat was new information to her, and helped her understand why her son kept asking about Mondays.

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, and everyone in court.