Man who tossed his baby at policeman to evade arrest jailed
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A wanted man tossed his two-month-old daughter at a police officer and fled as he tried to evade capture.
The policeman caught the child and handed her to his colleague before pursuing the offender.
The baby was not injured and her father was arrested soon after.
The 40-year-old Singaporean man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, was sentenced to 17 months' jail yesterday. He had pleaded guilty to offences including one count each of ill-treating a child and assaulting a woman with whom he had an "intimate relationship".
The man, who has a history of drug abuse, had failed to present himself at the Jurong Police Divisional Headquarters on July 22, 2019, for a urine test.
He was marked as a wanted man after that and a police gazette was issued about his case.
At around 4pm on Jan 18 last year, he went to Hong Kah North Neighbourhood Police Post with his wife and two children to make a traffic accident report linked to his company van.
When Sergeant Tan Wei Kang screened the man's particulars, the system showed he was wanted for failing to report for a urine test under the Central Narcotics Bureau.
Sgt Tan then discreetly lodged a report to request backup officers be sent to the police post.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Phoebe Tan said: "Sgt Tan tried to act as if there was nothing out of the ordinary and continued lodging the accident report."
But the man sensed something was amiss after noticing Sgt Tan using his phone, the DPP added.
His wife later said she needed to use the toilet and handed the baby to her husband as an officer escorted her to a restroom.
The man then said his baby "needed some fresh air" and walked out of the police post, with Senior Staff Sgt Mohamed Nasrudin Shahul Hameed and Sgt Tan tailing him. As he continued walking, they told him to stop.
He swung his daughter with one hand towards Sgt Tan and tossed her at him before running off. Sgt Tan caught the baby and the man was nabbed after a chase.
The man was out on bail when he assaulted a woman with whom he had an intimate relationship in January this year after consuming some liquor.
For ill-treating a child, an offender can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $4,000.
