03 Jul 2012 | China.org.cn
A teacher from New Zealand is heading home after he was seen throwing a little girl into a
swimming pool because she had run into him.
The man, surnamed Phillips and a teacher at the Shandong University of Finance and Economics,
has apologized for his behavior and paid compensation to the girl.
Prior to this incident, the university said it had revoked Phillips' qualifications to teach because
of his age - he is in his 60s, and he would be leaving the country later this month. His contract was
due to end in August.
<a href="http://s1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/?action=view&current=NZ_man_Phillips_9a9f2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/NZ_man_Phillips_9a9f2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The incident happened at a hotel swimming pool in Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, on Sunday
afternoon, police said.
The girl's grandmother spotted Phillips holding the five-year-old high above his head and throwing
her into the pool, the local Qilu Evening News reported.
She told the newspaper that a Chinese man immediately rushed to catch the girl to prevent her from
drowning.
She confronted Phillips asking for an explanation but he just cursed the family and made rude
gestures toward them, she said. "He was holding his hands in fists, threatening to beat us, but he
didn't."
Phillips told police the girl had run into him and he thought no one was attending to her so he threw
her into the water.
Reports of the incident sparked anger online.
"He should go back to the country where he came from" was one comment on Weibo.com.
"It is so ridiculous that such an ill-behaved man is even teaching students in university" was another.
A teacher from New Zealand is heading home after he was seen throwing a little girl into a
swimming pool because she had run into him.
The man, surnamed Phillips and a teacher at the Shandong University of Finance and Economics,
has apologized for his behavior and paid compensation to the girl.
Prior to this incident, the university said it had revoked Phillips' qualifications to teach because
of his age - he is in his 60s, and he would be leaving the country later this month. His contract was
due to end in August.
<a href="http://s1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/?action=view&current=NZ_man_Phillips_9a9f2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/NZ_man_Phillips_9a9f2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The incident happened at a hotel swimming pool in Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, on Sunday
afternoon, police said.
The girl's grandmother spotted Phillips holding the five-year-old high above his head and throwing
her into the pool, the local Qilu Evening News reported.
She told the newspaper that a Chinese man immediately rushed to catch the girl to prevent her from
drowning.
She confronted Phillips asking for an explanation but he just cursed the family and made rude
gestures toward them, she said. "He was holding his hands in fists, threatening to beat us, but he
didn't."
Phillips told police the girl had run into him and he thought no one was attending to her so he threw
her into the water.
Reports of the incident sparked anger online.
"He should go back to the country where he came from" was one comment on Weibo.com.
"It is so ridiculous that such an ill-behaved man is even teaching students in university" was another.
