A 32-year-old woman has been sentenced to 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to ill-treating her six-year-old son, whom she punished excessively for his inability to maintain a handstand.
The incident transpired on May 11, 2020, when the woman, in an attempt to discipline her son for alleged misbehavior, struck him with a belt ‘more than 100 times’ over a span of ten minutes, according to TODAY.
The woman, whose identity remains confidential due to a court order protecting the child, physically assaulted her son with both the strap and buckle of the belt, as well as kicking and slapping him.
Despite the boy’s pleas for her to stop and his visible injuries, the woman continued the attack. The incident was recorded on closed-circuit television.
DETAILS OF THE CASE :
On May 11, 2020, around noon, a six-year-old boy was subjected to punishment by his mother in their shared bedroom, where several of his siblings and half-siblings were also present. The mother’s then-boyfriend lived with them as well. She reprimanded the boy for his misbehavior by asking him to perform a handstand, but he struggled to maintain the position.
In response, she brandished a rotan and subsequently picked up a belt, striking him with it for approximately 10 minutes.
During the beating, she also kicked and slapped him while disregarding his cries for her to stop. Although she paused briefly, she eventually continued the assault, hitting him with the belt more than 100 times, using both the strap and buckle, and targeting various parts of his body, including his face.
Court documents did not disclose what the boy’s supposed misbehavior was according to report.
“50 Bruises and Abrasions”
The following day, the woman attempted to cover up her actions by taking her son to a local police station, falsely accusing her then-boyfriend of the abuse. Police observed numerous bruises and scratches on the boy’s body, and a medical examination revealed over 50 bruises and abrasions.
Dr. Juliet Tan from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital treated the child and documented his injuries, which highlighted the severity of the beating.
The Doctor noted that ‘he had sustained more than 50 bruises and abrasions’ according to the report.
The woman later underwent evaluations at the Institute of Mental Health, where Dr. Lee Yu Wei diagnosed her with an adjustment disorder with depressed mood.
However, Dr. Lee also stated that there was no link between her mental health issues and the violent behavior towards her child.
“Difficult to Watch“
In court, the woman’s lawyer, Ms. Michelle Yap, argued for leniency, suggesting the mother had gone too far in her attempt to discipline her child and expressed her remorse for the incident
As per the report, M Yap Law, said: “We respectfully submit that the offence and the accused here are not as sadistic as the prosecution made them out to be. This is a mother who went overboard in disciplining her child, but she is remorseful and wants to do better.”
The woman herself, visibly emotional, addressed the court during her mitigation plea, expressing her desire to be a better mother and to raise her children with “tender loving care.”
The mother said : “I hope I will be given a chance to be a better mum and a better person. I also hope to be given a chance to raise my kids with my tender loving care.”
District Judge Carol Ling, in her sentencing remarks, described the footage of the beating as “difficult to watch” and said that violence by parents and guardians is unacceptable.
She mentioned the boy’s vulnerability at the tender age of six and stated that the mother had abused her position of trust to inflict prolonged pain.
However, the judge recognized that the incident appeared to be an isolated occurrence, with no prior history of violence toward the boy or his siblings.
While the maximum penalty for ill-treating a child under her custody could have reached eight years of imprisonment or fines up to S$8,000, the court opted for a sentence of 13 months.
The woman will begin serving her time on September 2. It was noted that the relationship between the mother and son is reportedly improving, with supervised access granted under a child protection officer.
Image via google for illustration
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