SINGAPORE - A taxi driver who beat up his sister in a long-standing dispute over their mother's property was jailed for six weeks on Friday.

Vincent Lin Chuan Zu, 46, punched and kicked 49-year-old Lim Siew Kim before pulling her hair and hitting her head against a wall - leaving her with cuts, bruises and a fractured elbow.

The pair had bumped into each another at a void deck at Yishun Ring Road when a row erupted about Lin pressuring their mother to sell her home.

The court heard that Lin lashed out at his sister in a fit of rage. She pretended to be unconscious so he would stop hitting her.

When he walked away, she called police.

Lin admitted voluntarily causing hurt on September 22, 2013.

Pleading for a lighter sentence, Lin said he is married with two children aged 16 and 10. He was working as a container equipment specialist at PSA for 16 years but had to resign due to a serious back injury.

As a result, he now works up to 12 hours a day as a taxi driver to support his family.

District Judge Mathew Joseph noted that Lin had made attempts to apologise to his sister, pay for her medical fees and offer compensation but she had declined.

He said that he "obviously wanted to travel halfway on the bridge of forgiveness" with his sister but it is "unfortunate" that she was not willing to do the same.

However, Judge Joseph said that the court cannot condone violence, and what he had done was "totally unprovoked and unjustified".

Anyone convicted of causing hurt may be sentenced to up to two years' jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.