NO LAUGHING MATTER
Laughing man puts lit cigarette in mouth of toddler, 3, ‘to teach him a lesson’
The father of the child said the man wanted to 'teach the toddler a lesson'
A SAUDI man has been arrested after he was caught on camera putting a lit cigarette into the mouth of a three-year-old toddler 'to teach him a lesson'.
An investigation was launched after a clip of the man encouraging the little boy to smoke went viral on social media.
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The child was sitting on the man's knee and can be seen wincing in surprise as he tastes the tobacco smoke before frowning and coughing.
The man who gave him the cigarette, and other men who were with him, can be heard laughing in the 10 second clip.
The Attorney General of Saudi Arabia, Saud al-Mojeb, ordered the man's arrest and appealed for people who knew him to come forward.
A man was arrested the following day. Police spokesman Ziad al-Rikaiti said the man was in his 20s, lived in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and the toddler was the son of one of his relatives.
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The little boy's father, who did not give his name, later revealed that the arrested man was his cousin and claimed his intentions were good.
He claimed the child had the bad habit of putting cigarette stubs in his mouth and his cousin had wanted to teach him a lesson.
But paediatrician Dr Lina Barnawi said the theory that making a child try smoking tobacco would put them off for life was a misconception and could have the opposite effect.
Dr Barnawi said: "This idea is totally wrong and has no scientific basis."
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Jeddah lawyer Majed Garoub said the man would face serious charges, a heavy fine and could even be jailed.
Mr Garoub said: "It is not permissible for anyone to abuse internet and social media platforms in a way that violates public decency and security.
"When such occasions happen, the public prosecutor’s office has the right to take the proper action. The potential punishment for such acts is imprisonment and a financial penalty.
"The law protects children and the family, and in cases of any violations to children’s rights, it is the family affairs judge to assess the suitable punishment for the violator which is consistent with the best interest of the family."
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