The boys dad recalled the horrific moment his son rushed in screaming: 'Daddy! Daddy! There is a woman who burned me.' When the dad saw his son the skin on his face was peeling off
A woman has been arrested on accusations she threw boiling water on a 10-year-old boy while she was walking past her home.
The boy suffered serious burns to his head, face, torso and back, after the incident in Longueuil, Canada. The suspect, in her 40s, allegedly claimed that the boy had been knocking on her door for the past three years but the family only came to the neighborhood in January this year.
The Service de police de l'agglomération de Longueuil (SPAL) says the boy was scalded on October 2 by a woman who lives in an apartment block.
The boy told Radio-Canada that he was walking home from school with friends and "took a shortcut" that passes in front of the woman's residence.
His dad, Tewa Pierre Senin, said the boy arrived home screaming. He explained: "'Daddy! Daddy! There is a woman who burned me,' he said. I turned around, the skin on his face was falling off."
"I called the police and since they were taking time to come, we rushed to bring the child to the hospital. And one hour later, police arrived," he continued.
According to the parents, the boy suffered second-degree burns to his face, neck and upper body. The dad explained that after his son was first hit with the boiling water, he fell to the ground. That was when the woman allegedly poured the rest of the pot of water on him.
The boy was left traumatized by the incident and has been fearful since, said his mother Marie Ettian. After finding the woman near the site of the alleged attack the boy's dad asked her why she attacked his son.
He said: "She said the child had a habit of knocking at her door for the past three years, whereas we only came to the neighbourhood in January. My son never did that."
The dad also explained that the boy had only started attending the school near the woman's home a month ago. The woman was arrested and questioned by investigators. She faces charges of assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.
She was released on the same day on a promise to appear and under conditions, including not contacting the child and his family, said SPAL officer Mélanie Mercille.
But her release has left the family in fear, for themselves but also for other children. "I fear for the other children too because [the woman's home] is close to a school, and that scares me," Ettian said.
The SPAL also asks the public to contact police if they feel unsafe during neighbourhood disputes.