A local man was arrested on Wednesday for thrashing his daughter last month, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said during a regular police press conference in Zape yesterday.

Ho said that the suspect is a 38-year-old surnamed Hong, who works as a casino pit manager, while the victim is his eight-year-old daughter who attends school in the central district.

Ho didn’t elaborate on either the suspect’s marital status or whether the victim has any siblings, but noted that the family live in a flat in the northern district.

According to the Ho, teachers at the school last month noticed several suspicious wounds on the girl’s body so she was taken to the public Conde de S. Januario Hospital Centre to undergo a medical examination on March 19. After confirming that the girl had sustained injuries to her left cheek, left arm and left thigh, the hospital reported the case to the Judiciary Police (PJ).

Under questioning, Hong admitted that he had beaten his daughter. He told police officers that he had got angry as his daughter was disobedient and wasn’t doing her homework.

Ho said the suspect had slapped the girl multiple times across the face, hit her hand with a ruler and her thigh with a pole used to hang up the washing.

The suspect was arrested on Wednesday as the police had gathered the necessary evidence to suggest possible assault charges to the Public Prosecution Office (MP), according to Ho.

This is the second such case the police have recorded this week. On Monday, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced that a local man had been arrested for beating his eight-yearold son with a bamboo stick and a plastic pole last week. The assault was discovered by a neighbour, who heard the boy’s screaming and called the police. That father claimed he beat his “naughty” son to “discipline” him.

Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam speaks during a regular press conference yesterday in Zape. Photo: Joel Chu

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