A toddler in Ha Mei San Tsuen, Yuen Long, suffered second-degree burns to both hands on 19 August while in the care of a 30-year-old Indonesian domestic helper, who was arrested on suspicion of ill-treating or neglecting a child under her care. Reports described the child as either 23 months old or two years old.
Police said the child was conscious when she was taken to hospital and was being kept under observation. Reports differed on the hospital sequence, with one account saying she was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital and another saying neighbours first helped take the child and helper to Tin Shui Wai Hospital before treatment at Tuen Mun Hospital.
The helper was reported to have been provisionally charged with one count of ill-treating or neglecting a child under her care. She was due to appear at Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on 21 August, while the case was being handled by the Yuen Long District Crime Squad.
The cause of the burns remained unresolved. Reports described accounts involving a knocked-over pot of noodles, the child turning on hot water at a sink while the helper was using the toilet, or water being placed in a basin without its temperature being checked. These accounts had not been reconciled in the supplied reports.
The child’s mother alleged that the helper had given inconsistent explanations and that the child’s hands may have been deliberately immersed in hot water. She said CCTV showed the helper taking the child into a toilet at 2:52 p.m. and bringing her out six minutes later with red hands while crying, and that the footage showed no cooking on the stove at the relevant time. The allegations had not been established.
The mother also said the child had bruising on her forehead and alleged marks elsewhere on her body. She said the child was receiving daily wound treatment, had undergone a procedure involving dressings and might need a skin graft, subject to medical assessment. Police investigation and the child’s final medical condition remained pending ahead of the scheduled court appearance.