Elizabeth Ayika: Penrith childcare worker assaulted toddler

A childcare worker who assaulted a boy on her first day in the job has told of her remorse – and plans to pursue a career in paediatrics.

A western Sydney childcare worker who assaulted a young boy in her care on her first week in the job had “no training” before yanking the toddler through the centre, a court has heard.

Oluwanifemi Elizabeth Ayika, 32, fronted the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday where her lawyers argued failures to have her trained after three days partly led her to aggressively grabbing a young boy with a severe health condition.

Disturbing CCTV footage of the incident shows Ayika grabbing the boy by the face twice before pulling him up by his arm and marching him across the classroom in front of several other children.

He can then be seen grabbing his arm in pain.

Elizabeth Ayika, 32, leaves Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.

The court was told the Department of Education is also pursuing charges in court relating to the treatment of other children in Ayika’s care at the same centre.

Ayika, the court heard, came to Australia in 2015 having studied medicine in Ukraine and intends to pursue paediatric medical care.

Her lawyer Javid Faiz told the court Ayika was remorseful for hurting the young boy but argued police never alleged there was an injury to him in the fact sheet.

She received no training, he said, after being promoted from a “room assistant” to an early childhood educator that week.

“You can see Ms Ayika (in court), she is very remorseful, she’s ashamed and when she looks at this particular footage she said a moment ago ‘I can’t believe this has actually happened’,” Mr Faiz said.

The young boy and his mother.

Police argued in court Ayika needed a criminal conviction and claimed someone would not need training to know the way she treated the boy was wrong.

Ayika pleaded guilty to common assault last month in Penrith Local Court after police dropped a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The boy’s mother, speaking to the Inner West Courier this month, said her little boy had been traumatised by the ordeal.

His mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was in the next room when she heard her son scream in agony.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson said given the young boy’s age he was “vulnerable” in the assault and knocked back defence claims Ayika was unprepared for her position.

Ayika was convicted and handed a 12 month community corrections order.

EARLIER

BY ANTON ROSE ON JUNE 17, 2021

Shocking video has emerged showing the moment a Penrith childcare worker reportedly grabs the shoulder of a toddler in an incident that has left her facing criminal charges.

The video, obtained exclusively by the Inner West Courier, shows the horror moment the young boy is grabbed by a carer tasked with looking out for him and instantly begins clutching his arm in pain.

The CCTV vision shows Elizabeth Ayika, who was in the first week of her new job at the time, forcefully grabbing the child by the face twice before pulling him from the floor by his arm and marching him across the centre.

The young boy in the video can be seen to then grab his arm in pain.

The CCTV vision shows Elizabeth Ayika, who was in the first week of her new job at the time, forcefully grabbing the child by the face twice before pulling him from the floor.

Ayika has pleaded guilty to common assault after a charge of actual bodily harm was dropped on Wednesday.

If convicted, Ayika is facing a potential maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Ayika had been working at the childcare centre for just a few days when she assaulted the young boy.

Ayika pleaded guilty to the one count in Penrith Local Court with her lawyer Javid Faiz this week after initially planning to fight the allegations in a hearing on Wednesday.

The shocking video is set to be played before a magistrate at her next court appearance where she will learn her fate.

Her case was adjourned and Ayika will be sentenced in the Downing Centre Local Court later this month.

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