S'porean ex-therapist, 29, fined S$5,000 for dragging boy, 4, with autism to ground

While employed as a behavioural therapist, a 29-year-old Singaporean woman dragged her then four-year-old patient off his chair and onto the floor after he repeatedly hit her in the face.

For this act, Tricia Lee Hsien was fined S$5,000 on Oct. 28. She had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a minor.

The boy has a background of Asperger's syndrome, a condition classified under the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The incident, which was caught on CCTV, occurred in the boy's bedroom on Jun. 13, 2024, during their twice-weekly lessons.

A gag order has been enacted to protect the boy's identity.

Assigned to conduct lessons

Lee was employed by her organisation from January 2024 to Jun. 14, 2024. She was assigned to conduct lessons with the boy in February 2024.

The boy's parents installed a CCTV in the bedroom but did not intervene during the lessons as they trusted Lee to manage him.

On Jun. 13, 2024, at around 3pm, Lee went to the boy's home to conduct their scheduled lesson.

Only Lee and the boy were in the bedroom at all material times, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

At around 5:25pm, as Lee read to the boy by holding a book in front of him and pointing to its contents, he started fidgeting in his seat.

A minute later, Lee instructed the boy to place both of his hands on the table, called the "quiet hands" position, so that he would not act violently or snatch items away.

This was a technique Lee's organisation trained her to use to address behavioural issues in her students.

The boy did not comply and tried to hold the book Lee was reading.

Boy hit her face repeatedly

The boy then pulled the book away from Lee, who told him, "quiet hands", but he did not comply.

Instead, the boy hit Lee in the face, causing her spectacles to fall off.

Lee put her glasses back on and swung her left hand down twice; she also forcefully threw the book onto the floor beside her.

She picked the book back up, threw it on the table, before grabbing it once more and flinging it against the wall.

Court documents stated that in response, the boy hit Lee in the face again.

After being hit in the face for the second time, Lee pointed at the boy and firmly told him to not hit her again.

But the boy resumed and hit her in the face for the third time and grabbed her spectacles off her face.

Lee snatched her spectacles back and stood up from her chair.

Grabbed and dragged victim

At around 5:27pm, Lee used her left hand to grab the boy's right hand before dragging him off his chair and onto the floor, doing so with the intention to cause hurt to the victim.

This act constituted the charge she pleaded guilty to.

After the incident, Lee carried the boy out of the bedroom and reported to the his father that he had hit her in the face.

The boy's father ended the session for the day after numerous unsuccessful attempts to calm his son down, according to court documents.

At about 5:30pm, the father informed the boy's mother of the incident. The mother reviewed the CCTV footage and was shocked.

Afterwards, she contacted Lee's employer and extended a copy of the footage to them.

The mother also called the police at around 7:11pm to report the incident.

The next day, the boy's parents brought him to KK Women's and Children's Hospital to be assessed.

The physical examination noted no gross external injuries.

Lee's employment was terminated a day after the incident on Jun. 14, 2024. She cooperated with police during investigations and was arrested and released on station bail on Mar. 3, 2026.

Prosecution sought fine

The prosecution sought a fine of S$5,000 to S$6,000 as the case was an "exceptional one" where the harm caused was low, citing that the boy sustained no documented injuries and "the offence was an isolated act of ill-treatment which took place over the course of mere seconds".

According to CNA, Principal District Judge Toh Yung Cheong agreed that Lee's culpability was low but noted that she was a behavioural therapist "who could have taken other steps to deal with the situation".

An offender faces up to three years' jail and a maximum fine of S$5,000 or both for voluntarily causing hurt.

The maximum penalty doubles if the offence was committed against a minor under 14 years of age.