A bus driver, 64, dislocated the shoulder of a 12-year-old boy whom he thought spilled a canned drink on the school bus, as reported by The Straits Times.

The driver, Poh Choon Huat, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt which caused grievous hurt and was jailed for seven weeks on Jan. 9, 2024.

He was also ordered to pay a compensation of S$138 for the victim’s medical bills.

The boy cannot be named due to a gag order.

What happened

The incident happened on Jul. 31, 2023 at around 2pm after school.

The boy had sat on the last row of the school bus with his friend to travel home, when his friend accidentally dropped and spilled the contents of a green tea canned drink after the bus came to a sudden stop.

The boy alerted the bus attendant about what happened, shouting "Aunty, water spill" and went up to her while holding up spilled can.

The bus attendant went to the back of the bus and began scolding the boy and his friend.

The boy had tried to explain that he was not the one who spilled the drink, but the bus attendant said that she would report the matter to a teacher.

Poh then stopped the bus and went to scold the boy as well.

The boy continued to try and explain what happened, but Poh said he would inform the teacher what happened and asked the boy to leave the bus immediately.

Poh attempted to pull the boy out of the seat by grabbing the boy's left wrist and left shoulder while he was seated, but failed to do so as the boy had grabbed onto the chair and seat belt as he shouted that he would not leave the bus.

Poh then tried again by pulling him by his left shoulder and the boy told Poh he should not touch him.

Poh also reportedly shoved the boy on the left shoulder several times and swiped his hand over the boy's left cheek.

Boy visited hospital after feeling pain in his left shoulder

The boy called his grandmother who then met him at the void deck of his home to pick him up.

When the grandmother confronted the bus driver about what happened, he just laughed it off and denied it.

The boy visited Changi General Hospital on Aug. 2, 2023 and a doctor diagnosed him with a dislocation of the acromioclavicular joint of the left shoulder, as well as tenderness over the area.

Hospitalisation leave from Aug. 2 to 15 was given to the boy, and he had to wear a sling to assist in recovery.

Driver admitted to wanting to pull the boy out of his seat

Poh admitted to wanting to pull the boy out of his seat by grabbing his left shoulder.

He also told the police that he was angry with the boy because he had thrown items and dirtied the bus, as well as not worn his seatbelt.

District Judge Kenneth Chin said that Poh's actions was inappropriate and disproportionate, and as a bus driver, he was entrusted with the safety of his young charges.

For his actions, Poh could have been charged a fine of up to S$10,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.

Cover image via for illustrative purposes.