Outrage in China after Kiwi throws girl in pool

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A New Zealand man has apologised for throwing a 5-year-old girl into a hotel swimming pool in China because she bumped into him.

Phillip Westwood, who was working as an English-language teacher at the Shandong University of Finance, reportedly became infuriated when the girl bumped into his leg next to a pool at a hotel in the city of Jinan on Sunday afternoon.

The girl's grandmother told Qilu Evening News that Mr Westwood lifted the girl up and tossed her into a 1m-deep swimming pool.

Another man rescued the girl.

The grandmother asked him for an explanation but he reportedly cursed and made rude gestures at her.

"He was holding his hands in fists, threatening to beat us, but he didn't," the grandmother was reported as saying.

The woman said she was "very angry" at Mr Westwood's "awful" behaviour.

He was taken to the local police station but was not charged. Instead, he agreed to pay the girl's family 20,000 yuan (NZD$3900) in compensation and apologised.

A spokeswoman for the university said the incident had been caused by a misunderstanding and Mr Westwood's behaviour had not been acceptable.

His contract expired in August and would not be renewed.

Reports of the incident sparked anger online in China.

"He should go back to the country where he came from," was one comment quoted by China.org.cn.

"It is so ridiculous that such an ill-behaved man is even teaching students in university," another said.