SINGAPORE, Aug 2 — Angered that her son was unable to maintain a handstand she required as punishment for his supposed misbehaviour, a 32-year-old woman hit the boy with a belt more than 100 times over 10 minutes.
She also kicked and slapped him.
The next day, the woman took the boy to make a police report, falsely accusing her then-boyfriend of having beaten the boy and inflicted the injuries.
Today, the woman was sentenced to 13 months’ jail, after she pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating a child in her custody.
One other charge of giving false information to the police was taken into consideration in sentencing.
She will begin serving her sentence on September 2.
Both the woman and her son cannot be named due to a court gag order banning the identification of the child.
What happened
At the time of the offence, the boy was six years old.
The woman and her son lived with the woman’s then-boyfriend, as well as several of the boy’s siblings, half-siblings, and step-siblings.
At around 12pm on May 11, 2020, the woman was in her bedroom with several of her children, including the boy.
The woman was punishing the boy for misbehaviour, and had told him to do a handstand. Court documents did not disclose what the boy’s supposed misbehaviour was.
However, the boy was unable to maintain the handstand position.
The woman, who had been brandishing a rotan, then picked up a belt.
She began to strike the boy with the belt for about 10 minutes, and also kicked and slapped him.
Though the boy cried in pain, the woman ignored his pleas for her to stop.
At one point, the woman paused, though she later resumed the beating.
In total, the woman hit the boy with the belt more than 100 times, using both its strap and buckle.
She struck him all over his body, including his face.
The beating was captured on closed circuit television (CCTV).
The next day, on May 12, 2020, the woman took the boy to a neighbourhood police centre, where she lodged a police report falsely alleging that her then-boyfriend had beaten the boy.
The boy was observed to have numerous bruises on his body, and scratches on his face.
On May 13, the boy was examined by Dr Juliet Tan at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Dr Tan noted that he had sustained more than 50 bruises and abrasions.
The woman was also examined on multiple occasions by Dr Lee Yu Wei of the Institute of Mental Health.
Dr Lee prepared two medical reports: the first, on January 3, 2022, and the second report, on May 9, 2023.
In both the reports, Dr Lee diagnosed the woman as suffering from adjustment disorder with depressed mood.
Dr Lee opined, however, that there was no contributory link between her mental disorder and the offence.
In mitigation, the woman’s lawyer, Michelle Yap from 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 also prepared a mitigation plea, which she read in court.
Tearing up as she addressed the court, the woman expressed remorse for her actions and pleaded for leniency, stating that she had been going through a difficult time at the time of the offence.
“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.”
In sentencing, District Judge Carol Ling said that the footage of the beating was “difficult to watch”, and that excessive use of force and violence by parents and guardians cannot be tolerated.
She noted also that the boy was “particularly vulnerable”, being just six years old at the time of the offence, and that the woman had abused her position of authority and trust to inflict prolonged pain on the child.
However, the judge also acknowledged that the offence appeared to be a “one-off” and that there was no history or pattern of abuse where the woman was violent to the boy or her other children.
She added that she did find the woman remorseful and noted that the relationship between the woman and boy is now “on the mend”, as she has been allowed access to the boy under the supervision of a child protection officer.
For ill-treating a child under her custody, the woman could have been jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000, or both. — TODAY