SINGAPORE - A man who was violent towards his wife and young daughter was jailed for 14 months on Friday for breaching a personal protection order (PPO).

Palani Kandasamy, 45, had blamed his wife for misusing the order to get him into trouble but he eventually admitted the outbursts of violence were due to his drinking problem.

A Community Court heard that Palani was in the kitchen in his flat on Sept 30 last year when he scolded his daughter as he thought she had smoked cigarettes.

Although she denied it, he took a clothes hanger and hit her on her arm and leg.

When the hanger broke, he went into his room to retrieve a belt and hit her with it. The girl screamed for help.

Palani's wife, 43, emerged from the toilet in her room and saw him beating the girl. She tried to stop him. Palani scolded her and threw a bottle of coke at her.

His wife then shouted to the girl to call the police. The girl ran out.

When Palani tried to leave, his wife took the house key from him. He then grabbed her right arm and twisted it.

The court heard both mother and daughter have a valid protection order against him, issued by a district judge in 2012. The order forbids him from committing violence against his wife and daughter.

On Oct 10 last year, Palani came home reeking of alcohol. When he asked his wife if dinner was ready, she replied that she was still cooking.

He abused her with vulgarities. When she said she would call the police, he told her he was not afraid and proceeded to grab her hand and twisted it. He also used his leg to step on her left leg.

After a struggle, the wife broke free and ran into one of the rooms. He threatened to slap her if she called the police. She still called the police.

She fled from the unit with her daughter and waited for the police to arrive.

Besides having convictions for burglary, theft, rash act and misappropriating property, he had also been convicted five times for breach of PPO between November 2012 and July last year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Delicia Tan pointed out that Palani committed the present offences shortly after his release from prison last year.

After Palani had said that he felt his wife was misusing the PPO to get him into rouble, Community Court Judge Lim Keng Yeow probed further to find out whether the incidents could have something to do with his drinking. Initially, he said no but later admitted that it was.

"I would like to think if you came home completely sober, you would not have done these things,'' the judge said.

He backdated the sentence to Oct 11 when he was remanded, and told him not to go home drunk but to take care of his family. He also told him to seek help for his drinking problem.