A Nepalese childcare worker accused of slapping two young boys, aged 3 and 4, as they slept inside a Sydney centre has been hit with two new charges relating to two girls.
Jayendra Jung Shahi, 24, was arrested on April 25 and charged with two counts of common assault over the alleged incident at the Panania Montessori Academy two days earlier, and was granted bail spending a night in custody.
He was then re-arrested at his home in Belmore at about 12.45pm on Monday and charged with two additional counts of common assault, and NSW Police said they will allege Shahi assaulted two girls, also 3 and 4, in a separate incident.
Shahi who gained an early childhood education diploma last year and is trying to get permanent residency in Australia, was refused bail to appear in Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday.
During his previous bail hearing a court heard Shahi was caught on CCTV allegedly slapping the two boys with an open hand while they were sleeping during nap time, behaviour which police prosecutor Sam Adwan called “quite concerning”, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Shahi’s wife said in an affidavit that recent family tragedies had caused a decline in her husband’s mental health, and his lawyer James Moore said the night spent in custody had been a “wake-up call” for his client, who was intending to seek professional help for mental health issues.
Acting Judge Amanda Coultas-Roberts said the allegations were “pretty serious examples of common assault”.
“They were committed in circumstances where the accused was meant to care for children in a childcare centre, and whilst two of those children were sleeping, aged three and four, he slapped them across the face,” she told the court.
Shahi, who has no criminal history, was granted bail with conditions including surrendering his passport and not going near childcare centres.
A parent is believed to have reported the alleged assaults, and the Montessori Academy said they took action immediately by standing Shahi down and making reports to police and regulators.
“We take any concerns of this nature extremely seriously, and the safety, health and wellbeing of children is always our highest priority,” the centre said.
“As soon as we became aware of the allegation, immediate action was taken including standing down the educator and reporting the matter to the police and regulatory authority.
“We have since terminated the educator’s employment.”
Left, right, Jayendra Shahi (Facebook).
