Primary 3 boy 'poisons' classmate's water with Dettol hand soap -- to get back at her for female friend

A ninw-year-old boy, in a bid to avenge a female friend who allegedly quarrelled with her classmate, added Dettol hand soap into her water bottle.  

The harrowing incident happened on Wednesday (Mar 22) morning in a primary school situated in Jurong, and all three parties are Primary 3 students and classmates.

The victim, after drinking from the bottle, vomited and developed a high fever. She was rushed to a hospital for treatment, reports Lianhe Wanbao

The victim and the boy’s female friend were reportedly good friends but had fallen out over a minor squabble.

The boy, in a bid to win the girl’s heart, decided to add hand soap to her friend's water bottle.

After recess ended, he quickly returned to the classroom, carrying a bottle of Dettol hand soap, and secretly poured it in into the victim’s water bottle. 

After the victim came back, she drank from the bottle, not knowing that the water had been polluted.

After about 20 minutes, she started developing a high fever, and vomited twice. She also told her teacher that she was feeling cold and tired.

The school quickly informed her 36-year-old father who brought her home.

Not long after returning home, their domestic helper was washing the girl’s bottle, when she found a lot of foam and detected a strong smell of chemicals.

She immediately notified the girl’s parents.

Suspecting that she had ingested soap water, her father brought her back to school and confronted the teacher in a rage, before quickly sending her to a hospital.

According to the victim’s father, the boy admitted to doing the deed on the spot after he and his daughter came back into the classroom. 

The victim also told reporters that the boy smiling sheepishly as she drank from her bottle, and remembered distinctly that he had approached her and told her that, “I will poison you to death.”

Said the girl: "I thought he was joking at first. I never actually thought he would poison me!"

The father of the victim expressed disbelief at the viciousness of the prank and said that adults cannot sit by and do nothing when a child acts in this manner. 

He also added: "Today, he might have added hand soap, but what about tomorrow? He’s still nine years old and already he’s so vengeful. This is horrifying."

Later that night, the boy visited the girl at the hospital, accompanied by his 27-year-old mother and a teacher, reports The Straits Times.

The boy stood by the girl's bedside crying, as he told her: "Sorry."

His mother said that her son did not have many friends in school.

He decided to poison the girl, at his friend's instruction, as he was worried he would lose their friendship.

She also apologised to the girl's family at the hospital.

The school's principal and a few teachers had also visited the girl and they are offering assistance to the girl's family, according to Lianhe Wanbao.