Former Kinderland preschool teacher who allegedly abused children in her care offered S$15,000 bail
Former Kinderland preschool teacher Lin Min outside the State Courts on Sep 13, 2023. (Photo: TODAY/Ili Nadhirah)
SINGAPORE: A former preschool teacher accused of rough handling and hitting children at a Kinderland preschool in Woodlands returned to court on Wednesday (Sep 13) in person, where she was offered a S$15,000 (US$9,540) bail by the prosecution.
Lin Min, 33, was formally charged on Aug 30 with the ill-treatment of a 23-month-old child on Jun 30 this year, when she forced the child to lie down and poured water into her mouth.
Her acts were caught on video, which showed Lin placing her hand on the girl's face to prevent her from moving and then pouring water into the crying child's mouth.
A court order was also made to protect the identities of the victims involved.
The woman was arrested on the evening of Aug 29 after a police report was lodged about the series of videos that showed Lin allegedly abusing the young children in her care.
These videos, which were then posted on Facebook, showed Lin handling the children roughly as she tried to get them to drink water.
Following the conclusion of her first court proceedings, Lin was remanded to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), where she underwent psychiatric assessment.
Lin appeared in court on Wednesday wearing a pair of glasses and a white T-shirt as the prosecution offered bail at S$15,000.
Even though the IMH assessment has concluded, the prosecution said that Lin might be facing more similar charges and sought an adjournment of four weeks for investigations to continue.
Lin's defence counsel Pang Khin Wee thanked the prosecution for the offer of bail but said that he had not had the chance to speak with his client to receive her first instructions despite waiting for a call from the investigation officer.
Nonetheless, the lawyer told District Judge Brenda Tan that Lin's family members were present in court and ready to make bail for her to be released on Wednesday.
Lin's case will be heard again in four weeks but she will not be required to attend until further notice.
This article was originally published in TODAY.
