M'sia man arrested over alleged abuse of nephews, canes & throws chair at them

A 38-year-old man suspected of abusing his nephews has been remanded for two days to assist police investigations.

This comes after the circulation of a disturbing video showing children being caned and a chair thrown at them inside a house in Petaling Jaya.

The Petaling Jaya district police chief confirmed that the suspect is the uncle of the victims, who are aged between eight and 11 years old.

Police received report after video went viral

According to police, a report was received at 1:21pm yesterday (Jan. 17) after the video spread widely on social media, as cited by the New Straits Times.

Police said the incident is believed to have occurred after the children allegedly acted defiantly towards the suspect’s mother, who is also their grandmother, reported The Sun Malaysia.

The original video was widely shared on Reddit, where the poster alleged that two siblings were abused by their uncle while their mother was working in Singapore.

The post claimed the uncle beat the children after an argument with their grandmother and assaulted the younger child, who was said to have a learning disability.

Another Reddit post later shared CCTV footage showing the uncle cutting up a child's sports shoes following the incident.

Uncle explains actions

However, the uncle later posted on Facebook claiming that his actions were provoked after one of the children allegedly attacked his mother by trying to strangle her, along with kicking and punching her.

He also shared background about family violence, drug abuse, and past police involvement, saying that he had rescued her sister from being horribly beaten by her drug-addicted ex-husband.

Police have not confirmed any of the claims made on social media.

Fallout spreads to clown industry

The case has also affected the entertainment industry, as the suspect is believed to work as a balloon clown performer.

According to Chinese-language daily Guang Ming Daily, a fellow performer who knows the suspect said colleagues in the industry have been subjected to online abuse and harassing phone calls since the case became public.

The performer said innocent colleagues and former employers were being targeted despite having no involvement in the alleged abuse.

He urged the public to allow the law to take its course and to stop “collective punishment” of people who are not connected to the case.

The performer also claimed that, in his personal view, the uncle had previously cared deeply for his nephews and that his extreme actions may have been driven by a desire to protect his mother.

He stressed, however, that violence could not be justified.

Investigation ongoing

Authorities are investigating the case under Section 31(1) of the Child Act, which deals with child abuse offences. If convicted, the accused could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM50,000, or both.

Police have also appealed for members of the public with information about the case to come forward to assist in investigations.

Top images via RhinneXChronica/Reddit