Toddler badly bruised after caning by babysitter

JOHOR BARU: A housewife was shocked to see bruises all over her three-year-old daughter, who is believed to have been caned by her babysitter.

Lau Hui Choon, 33, had been sending her daughter and year-old son to the babysitter at Taman Sri Yaacob in Skudai here for a few days after finding out about her services online.

Lau, who is starting a new job next week, said she gave the cane to the babysitter, in her 50s, to discipline her children when they were under her care.

“I agreed that she would use the cane only when necessary but I did not expect my child to be abused like this,” she said here yesterday.

Lau said she received a telephone call from the babysitter around 8pm on Thursday asking her to pick up her children.

“The babysitter said she had caned my daughter because she was too naughty. When I reached the house, I scolded my daughter for not listening to the babysitter. I then took off her pyjamas because she was crying and complaining of pain,” she said.

She said she discovered bruises all over her daughter’s body, including the hands and legs.

She said she decided to lodge a police report but later retracted it after the babysitter’s husband pleaded for forgiveness.

She lodged another report on the insistence of her husband, who was furious over the incident.

Nusajaya OCPD Supt Noor Hashim Mohamed said police were investigating the case under the Child Act 2001.