A teacher is facing legal action for allegedly beating a seven-year-old pupil who ate his marshmallows without permission.

Kanacharn Watjanapradit, 26, was furious when hungry youngster Patiphan Oatprapai tucked into the snacks on the teacher's desk in Lampang, northern Thailand.

The educator shouted abuse and then grabbed a steel ruler, unleashing a torrent of blows at the schoolboy as he cowered on the ground.

Terrified Patiphan was left with bruises across his cheek and neck from the attack on October 2. He was then forced to scrub the toilet at Ban Mae Chang School as further punishment.

Heartbreaking photos show his cheek and neck with purple splotches from where the cruel teacher had hit him.

Patiphan's shocked mother, 48, said she had no money to give the boy dinner money that day, prompting him to steal the sugary treats from the teacher's desk.

Speaking from her rundown breeze-block, she said: 'My only wish is to have this teacher moved out of the school. My son has become too terrified to even attend classes. He is suffering from extreme fear and paranoia.

'The repeated blows to his head could have caused brain damage. My son is lucky he is only bruised.'

A medical report from a local hospital confirmed Patiphan's injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma.

A remorseful Kanacharn, seen in the video wearing a hat and face mask, visited the boy's home two days later with a gift basket.

He bowed in front of the boy's mother as he pleaded for forgiveness, but soon fled as reporters arrived.

Patiphan's family said that unless the school resolves the cases, they will file a police complaint as the suspected assault had left the youngster traumatised.

Thanayut Kamphira, deputy director of the Lampang Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, met with school director Boonsak Nak-orn on Monday to discuss steps to prevent such incidents from happening again.

He said: 'The teacher will be reassigned to Lampang Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, effective on October 6.

'A committee will determine if his actions warrant serious administrative sanctions. We will be fair to all parties.'

He added that the suspension of Kanacharn's teacher's licence will fall under the Teachers' Council of Thailand (TCT).

Amonwan Weerathammo, secretary-general of the TCT, said: 'Violence in schools is unacceptable. Teachers are meant to nurture, not harm.

'The assistant teacher currently holds a provisional teaching licence issued in May 2023 and valid until May 2028. We have already submitted the case to the Professional Standards Committee for review under the 2025 Code of Ethics. The committee may suspend the licence while the investigation is ongoing.'

The case comes after Thailand this year banned corporal punishment for children in schools, homes, and care facilities.

The amendment to Section 1567 of the Civil and Commercial Code was published in the Royal Gazette on March 24, and was lauded by children's rights advocates.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said violent discipline at home has fallen gradually over the past decade in Thailand. A 2022 survey by the National Statistical Office and UNICEF found that 54 per cent of children under 14 experienced physical or psychological punishment, down from 75 per cent in 2015.