SINGAPORE, Jan 17 — A 33-year-old man was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment in Singapore yesterday for assaulting his 84-year-old grandmother and breaching a personal protection order (PPO) that had been placed against him due to previous violent acts.

The Straits Times reported that Jeremy Su Zhiwei pleaded guilty to charges of voluntarily causing hurt and contravening the PPO.

The PPO had been in place since 2022 following numerous incidents of physical altercations between Su and his grandmother.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Cheah Wenjie was reported as highlighting in court that Su’s past behaviour had led to police and social service intervention, including multiple admissions to the Institute of Mental Health for aggression towards his grandmother, ranging from pinching to choking.

DPP Cheah then outlined the latest incident, which occurred on November 22, 2024.

Su went to his grandmother’s home, demanding money from her. When she refused, citing his failure to explain the need for the money, he became aggressive.

He followed her to her bedroom, kicking the bed frame and then choking her. When his grandmother tried to free herself by grabbing his hands, Su escalated the assault by pulling her hair.

“His actions caused the victim pain, as well as bruising to her neck and redness on her scalp,” DPP Cheah was quoted as saying.

The elderly woman repeatedly cried out for Su to release her hair before eventually calling her son — the accused’s uncle — to inform him of the attack. The police were alerted, and Su was arrested later that day.

In his defence, Su expressed remorse before District Judge Eugene Teo, stating that upon his release, he hoped to pursue further studies and find employment.

“I want to get a diploma because I want to make my grandma proud,” he was quoted as saying.

Judge Teo warned Su against reoffending and urged him to follow through on his plans, advising, “I encourage you to find a job and really try to put in an effort. You’ve set the expectation and the plan for yourself, and you should keep going in that direction.”

In Singapore, the maximum penalties for voluntarily causing hurt are up to three years in jail, a fine of up to S$5,000 (RM16,500), or both.