Man confronts maid for allegedly getting child to kiss stranger for $5 in Lucky Plaza, police looking into matter
A maid allegedly got a child to kiss a stranger for money in Lucky Plaza on the afternoon of March 8.
Mr Francis Michael, 56, said when he saw it happening for a second time, he confronted the maid and the man, and put a stop to it.
He made a police report the next day.
In response to a Stomp query, the police confirmed a report was lodged and they are looking into the matter.
Stomper Cheesecake alerted Stomp to a Facebook post about the incident by Mr Michael under the user name Francesco Mikhail.
Mr Michael, who told Stomp he is a property agent, said he was having lunch in a coffee shop in the basement of the mall that day at 2.45pm.
"Facing me was a table of about four to five helpers and one of them had a child with her," he recounted.
Mr Michael said the child was a girl about three to four years old and looked African-American. The man was seated at the same table about four seats away from the group.
"He pulled out a $5 note and waved it at the child. The helper told the child to take it and kiss the man, which she did, on the cheek," alleged Mr Michael, who said he was shocked to see the kiss.
"Then about two minutes later, the man waved a $50 note at the child. The helper again told the child to take it and kept forcing her to kiss the man, at which point I stood up and stopped it."
The real estate agent said he reprimanded the helper, "telling her that she was supposed to care for the child, not force her to kiss strangers for money".
He continued: "I asked her if the child's father would be happy if he saw this, to which she replied, 'Yes.'
"I then told her that I could call the police on her and told her to call the father of the child on her phone so I could speak to him. She challenged me to call the police. She told me it was none of my business. I told her that she was in my town and when it comes to children, it is my business."
Mr Michael said he then asked the man if he was Singaporean, and he replied that he was.
"I asked him what the hell he was doing, encouraging an underage child to kiss him by offering her money. He defended his actions and signalled to a tattooed man behind me, who came to me and told me to back off."
The coffee shop manager then came and told Mr Michael that they had CCTV footage of what happened in case of a police investigation, claimed Mr Michael.
He said: "The man cut in and shouted in a popular Chinese dialect that it was not my business. He said if it is your child, I will say sorry, but it is not your child, so mind your own business.
"I told him again sternly that as long as a child is involved, I will step in, no matter what. He then asked me if I wanted to hit him, to which I replied that I did not want to touch him. I told the tattooed guy that what the man did was against our laws."
Mr Michael said that when he turned around, the maid and the girl were gone, so he left too.
He does not have videos or photos of the incident.
"I need to find the maid's employer," said Mr Michael in his Facebook post, which has been circulating online.
"One thing I will not tolerate is someone abusing a child. Not in Singapore. Not on my watch."
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