BANGKOK — A babysitter accused of beating, bullying, shoving, and manhandling a dozen kindergarteners apologized on TV Wednesday for her actions.
Ornuma “Kru Jum” Plodprong, 30, offered her apology in a live interview with Channel 3 in front of the parents of two pupils she allegedly assaulted. Ornuma also walked back from her threat to sue the parents for kicking her in a fit of rage after they learned about her abusive behavior at Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School.
“I want to apologize from my heart. I cannot fix what I did. I’ll let the law work this out,” Ornuma said to the parents. “I’m not afraid of getting jailed, because what I did was wrong.”
Ornuma filed a police complaint Sunday against Chanwit Noisukying and his wife for assaulting her at a meeting on Sept. 25, when parents came to demand answers from the school over Ornuma’s acts of violence on children in her class
The former babysitter said on the show that she will withdraw the complaint – and blamed the idea on the school management.
“I wasn’t angry [at the parents], but a senior figure at the school called me and advised me to go to the police since I was a woman and the attacker was a man,” she said. “They didn’t force me, they advised me.”
However, Ornuma’s lawyer Decha Kittivittayanan, who also represents the school, immediately called in to refute Oruma’s claim and even threatened legal action against his own client.
“Stop lying to society. Stop hurting Sarasas. Stop hurting the children. Stop hurting the parents,” he said. “We never advised her to file any complaint against the parents. You have destroyed Sarasas enough, and defiled the school’s reputation.”
“If you keep giving damaging interviews to the press, prepare to get served,” Decha said.
Ornuma is one of the 13 employees accused of physical assaults on students at the same school. Chanwit and at least 10 other parents are demanding a compensation of 5 million baht each from the school for causing harm to their children.
“She seems sorry for what she did. But when she filed a complaint against me, that was shocking. I will let the law decide her fate,” Chanwit said. “Of course, I’m still very angry that my child was hurt.”
Ornuma said that she had considered suicide since the news broke that she had assaulted multiple kindergarteners as a baby sitter. “I’ve been very stressed,” she said.
A parent also filed a new police complaint against Ornuma on Wednesday for allegedly stripping her daughter in front of male teachers. Of the 13 teachers and babysitters wanted by the investigators for the series of assaults, 9 of them had surrendered to the police so far.
All of them were granted bail on a bond of 8,000 baht each on Tuesday.
Investigators said some of the education workers hired by Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School did not have permits to teach, including Ornuma.
The school management was summoned to hear charges for hiring teachers without permit on Wednesday, but the school sent a representative to postpone the meeting.
Related stories:
Teachers Accused of Hitting Children Freed on 8,000-Baht Bond
‘Kru Jum’ Files Charges Against Parents of Children She Assaults
Violence On Pupils Reported at Another Sarasas School
Director of Schools Marred by Violence Goes on TV. It Went As You Expect.
Kindergarten Violence Scandal: Director Says Parents Just Want Money
Police Charge Filipino Teacher Caught Mistreating Pupils
Thai, Foreign ‘Teachers’ Accused of Assaulting Kindergarteners
