Mum arrested after pouring water on sleeping baby daughter as ‘payback’

A mum in the United States has been arrested after sharing a video of herself pouring water on her sleeping infant daughter as “payback.”

According to news station WIS-TV, the woman, named locally as Caitlin Alyse Hardy, posted a video of herself pouring water onto her sleeping nine-month-old daughter. When the baby startled, Hardy could be heard laughing in the background.

Once the baby settles again, Hardy pours out more water onto her face, which left the baby coughing and gasping for air.

The video was captioned: “payback for waking me up all kinda times of da night.”

Social media users are said to have alerted the authorities in Sumter County, South Carolina after the clip was shared onto the Facebook page, Where Is Baby Kate?. 

A warrant for Hardy’s arrest was issued on Wednesday, January 29, accusing her of “ill-treatment” which caused the little girl “unnecessary pain and suffering”. She was arrested that evening and charged with cruelty to children.

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said they have notified the county Social Services Department.

They said that there were four children, including the baby girl, who were residing at the house at the time of the incident.

Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said: “The charge against this defendant will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”