Police investigates confinement nanny for alleged abuse of 1-month-old baby in Hougang flat

In one video, the nanny was seen aggressively pushing the baby's head forward while burping the baby.

Lean Jinghui | Karen Lui | January 27, 2022, 08:41 PM

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A confinement nanny was recently discovered to have allegedly abused a one-month old baby under her care.

The parents of the baby checked CCTV footage of their flat in Hougang and found out what had happened.

In footage submitted by a Mothership reader, the nanny, 63, is seen roughly pulling the baby towards her, in order to pick her up from her mattress.

In another video, she was also seen aggressively pushing the baby's head forward while burping the baby, after feeding her milk.

Recommended by a friend

Speaking to Mothership, Reuben See, 33, who is the baby's father, shared that the nanny, surnamed Yang, had been referred to them by a friend.

She had been the only available confinement nanny at that point in time.

See shared that they had tried to find one on their own as well, but were unable to.

They were told by Yang that she had 19 years of experience, and they had also believed her to be good as she was recommended by someone they knew.

See and his wife then paid an initial deposit of S$800 in June 2021.

While Yang had initially asked for a pay of S$4,688, citing that the dates of work would be close to Chinese New Year 2022, See shared that they had eventually agreed upon a salary of S$3,500, for the month that she would be with the family.

Yang subsequently began working for the family on Dec. 30, 2021, three days after their baby was born.

Helper first mentioned about alleged mistreatment

During her stay, Yang shared a room with the baby, and the family's helper.

See noted that it was their helper who had first drawn their attention to Yang's alleged mistreatment of the baby.

However, in the morning, all appeared to be well in the presence of both parents, and See had found nothing amiss after skimming through some CCTV footage.

It was only on Jan. 22, 2022, that See decided to check the footage again, following a conflict between Yang and himself.

See explained that Yang had wanted to terminate her contract earlier than agreed upon, and also asked for more cash that she felt "entitled to" as it was near Chinese New Year.

After reviewing the videos again, and noting some rough behaviour he was uncomfortable with, See shared that he had decided to call the police, as he felt that "something was not right".

Found more videos of rough handling

After reviewing more CCTV footage, See allegedly found about 15 to 17 more videos of rough behaviour, which he passed on to the police for investigations.

"I just feel 打抱不平 lor [which means to defend against injustice]. The more I searched, the more I felt pek cek</em (exasperated), because I found so many [videos] mah."

The police arrived on Jan. 22 afternoon to take the household's statements, before leaving with the nanny at about 5pm.

In response to Mothership‘s queries, the police confirmed that they received a call for assistance at a Hougang flat on Jan. 22, 2022, at 2:47pm, where a one-month-old baby was allegedly ill-treated.

A 63-year-old woman is currently assisting with police investigations, the police added.

Nanny denies abuse allegations

When asked about the incident, Yang subsequently admitted that she was rough, but she denied ever having any intentions of abusing the baby, reported Shin Min Daily News.

She said: "I just patted the baby's back after she was done eating with my hand, as I did not want her to choke".

According to See, Yang's previous employer had contacted him after the incident was reported as well, and told him about their bad experience with her previously.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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Top images via Mothership reader.