Young Mother Confused After Being Punched in the Mouth While Holding Baby, but Police Say She's at Fault—and Court Agrees
A 23-year-old mother in Samut Prakan was punched in the mouth by a male neighbor while holding her baby after a noise dispute, but police ruled her at fault for cursing first—a decision that has left her seeking justice through the courts.
At 2 p.m. on June 29, a reporter met with Ms. Kannika (surname withheld), 23, at an apartment building on Sai Wad Soi 3, Pak Nam subdistrict, Mueang district, Samut Prakan province. The victim presented CCTV footage, a daily record log, and medical certification showing a fractured lip after being punched by a male resident while she was holding her infant son.
Ms. Kannika explained that on June 28 around midday, while she was resting in her room with her young son, the child suddenly woke startled by noise. The male resident from the same building was talking loudly on his phone on the stairwell leading to the second floor without concern for others. Disturbed that her sleeping child had awakened, she muttered insults out loud in frustration. The man apparently heard her, interpreted it as directed at him, and came to her room door cursing at her with crude language. When she came out to speak with him, a heated argument ensued. Without warning, he struck her face violently while she was still holding her baby in her arms, showing no concern that the child could be harmed if she fell.
After the incident, she went to Mueang Samut Prakan Police Station to file a complaint and request action against the man. However, after police called the man in for questioning, they told her that she was at fault for cursing at him first. Shocked and confused, she tried to explain that the man's loud phone call had startled her sleeping child, but police dismissed her explanation. They even warned her that if she pursued the case in court, she would still be found at fault.
Felt unjustly treated—struck and bleeding yet deemed responsible—she is appealing through the media to senior police officials at Mueang Samut Prakan Police Station for justice and intends to pursue the case against the perpetrator to the fullest extent.
