Officer attached to S'pore High Commission in London warned for leaving children home alone at night

More information on the person with diplomatic immunity from Singapore who was reported to the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FDCO) for "serious and significant offences" in 2023 has been revealed.

In a statement to the media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said they are aware of an incident regarding alleged child neglect by a public officer attached to the Singapore High Commission in London.

The officer has been deposted as scheduled, MFA added.

What happened

MFA explained the circumstances of the alleged child neglect.

In September 2023, the officer had left his children at home while they were asleep to pick up his spouse at night.

One child woke up and managed to exit the locked house to look for the parents and was found a short distance away, MFA said.

This led to the involvement of the local police in the matter.

After investigations, authorities closed the incident with no follow-ups required.

"The officer had cooperated fully in the investigation, and diplomatic immunity was not invoked at any point," MFA said.

Counselled and issued warning

The officer was counselled and issued with a warning following the incident, MFA stated.

"We appreciate the professionalism of the local police in handling the situation," they added.

"MFA expects all its staff and other officers attached to its missions to uphold the highest standards of conduct and to abide by the laws of their host countries."

Report to FDCO

The officer from Singapore was one of nine suspects who were reported to the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FDCO) for "serious and significant offences" in 2023.

All nine suspects were entitled to diplomatic or international organisation-related immunity in the UK.

In a written statement to parliament on Nov. 14, junior foreign minister Catherine West defined "serious offences" as "those which could, in certain circumstances, carry a penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment or more".

She also listed several "significant offences", which included driving without insurance and certain types of assault.

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