Man who put e-cigarette in baby's mouth for viral clip faces 20 years in jail

A man who placed an e-cigarette in a baby's mouth for a viral video faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

The unnamed 23-year-old was arrested on 8 August by officers in Johor, Malaysia, after the clip circulated on social media.

According to North Johor Baru district police commander Rupiah Abd Wahid, the baby belonged to the sister of the suspect's friend.

The mother, her sister and the man had been in a restaurant when he placed the vape, which was said to be non-functioning, in the seven-month-old's mouth.

@fanaizty/Twitter

Rupiah explained: "All of a sudden, the man who was carrying the baby had jokingly placed the non-functioning e-cigarette into the baby’s mouth.

"This was recorded by the mother’s sister who posted it on social media and it went viral."

In the clip, the man can be seen placing the vape in the baby's mouth before pulling it away to making it look as if the child is smoking.

The commander went on to explain that on 6 August, after the clip went viral, the mother filed a police report and shortly after an investigation was launched, police arrested the man.

Despite not appearing to inhale fumes from the allegedly non-functioning e-cigarette, he could be charged with exposing a child under care to danger.

If a court finds him guilty, he faces a 20-year prison sentence, a RM50,000 (£9,279) fine or both.

Rupiah has said the case serves as a warning to the public to be careful about what they post on social media.

Over on Twitter, people have reacted angrily to the video, with many accusing those involved of putting the child's health at risk.

@fanaizty/Twitter

One user who posted the video and reported the incident to authorities wrote: "Apparently the baby's mother was with them that night. Why not stop the man's actions?"

Another wrote: "We have a child. The first thing my husband changed was to stop smoking... So parents, please don't be stupid. It's a pity for the child."

A third commented: "Even if the baby didn't suck on the vape, do you know what's inside? If you use the pod/vape, don't share it with other people. Do you know how many germs are stored in it?"

While a fourth wrote: "Wow, my father's wife had a child and he stopped smoking. Not even once did he touch or come close to cigarettes because he wanted to take care of his child's health."