The parents of a three-year-old Beijing boy have taken a kindergarten director to court on behalf of their child, claiming she beat the boy every day for more than one month.

The boy doesn't like to take a nap at noon, which led to the assault, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.

The boy's parents are demanding 35,000 yuan (US$5,150) compensation for medical expenses and mental anguish. The boy was diagnosed as traumatized from the beatings, the report said.

Zhang Shurong, the kindergarten director, denied the accusation to police but two teachers from the kindergarten appeared in court on Wednesday as witnesses for the boy.

A teacher surnamed Zhou called the boy's mother on March 19 to tell her about the beatings and suggest she move the boy to another kindergarten.

The next day another teacher told the boy's mother that Zhang slapped the boy every day, had given him a bloody mouth and choked him with a quilt twice, the report said.

The two teachers had been threatened to keep quiet and quit, according to the report.

One had even asked for police protection as she said the director had threatened her before the trial.

The boy had attended the kindergarten for a month by the time his mother learned of the beatings and called police.

The mother told the court her son had bruises on his body and often awoke suddenly at night, crying. He also became withdrawn and stopped eating, the report said.

The court didn't announce a verdict on Wednesday.

(Shanghai Daily August 21, 2009)