What began with a video showing a frail-looking woman seemingly being slapped by her daughter took a shocking twist yesterday with allegations that the older woman had been fed human excrement.
This was revealed in court when their next-door neighbour, Darwinder Singh Sukhdev Singh, 39, was charged with abetting the daughter in feeding faeces and urine to her mother, Madam Kamisah Burel, 58.
Speaking in broken English, the unemployed man said he had told Ms Siti Nur Redha Khamis, 25, to feed her mother faeces only one time, on July 1 at 10.30pm.
He then said Ms Siti continued to do it regularly.
"I only planned one time to give the mother shit, but she gave every day," he told the court yesterday.
He claimed that Ms Siti had been out of work for eight months, and that he had tried to support her.
"I pawned my jewellery.
"I sold my handphone and laptop for her. She has accused me of a lot of things."
Darwinder also claimed that he and his mother have medical problems and are getting help from the Community Development Council.
He added: "My mother (has) got no one other than me."
Police said that Ms Siti is currently assisting them with investigations, and could not comment on whether she will be charged.
Her mother remains at Singapore General Hospital.
The hospital declined to reveal her condition, citing patient confidentiality.
After being charged, Darwinder was taken to the Tanglin Police Division, where he will be remanded for a week to help police conduct investigations into other possible offences, which a police prosecutor said could have taken place over a long period of time.
The case came under the spotlight on Monday when another neighbour, 25-year-old Mohammad Juani, posted a video on Facebook of Madam Kamisah seemingly being slapped by Ms Siti outside their Lower Delta Road flat .
Mr Juani told The Straits Times earlier: "I couldn't bear to see the pain that the old auntie suffered.
"She also needs to be treated like a human being."
The New Paper (TNP) also published an interview with Darwinder, who provided "secret" pictures of Madam Kamisah being allegedly abused by Ms Siti in their flat.
The photos - which looked posed - showed the woman being hit with brooms, having her hair pulled and being stepped on.
In the TNP report, Darwinder claimed to have taken the pictures in secret out of concern for Madam Kamisah's welfare.
When The Straits Times visited his flat, his mother, Madam Diah Kaur, was distraught to learn that he had been charged.
The 63-year-old, who said her husband had left her when Darwinder was still young, said: "I'm so worried that I have not makan (eaten in Malay) for the last two days."
Madam Kaur, who was unkempt and appeared distracted during the interview, had also been unable to take her medication without her son's help, as she had forgotten which pills to take.
She showed this reporter two plastic bags full of hundreds of pills, for diseases such as heart problems and diabetes.
She claimed that she had seen Madam Kamisah being fed excrement from a container - "the kind you put porridge in" - on several occasions. She also said it had been Ms Siti's idea to take posed photos of the alleged abuse.
She believes Ms Siti had been in love with her son for the past year and wanted to marry him.
"She would come over to our house, eat our food, write L-O-V-E on her hand and show him."
Neighbours said they had often seen Darwinder and Ms Siti going out together, sometimes even with their mothers.
But they were unclear about the relationship between the pair.
Driver Alex Low, 50, said the two would go out together "four to five times a week and come back with a lot of shopping bags".
He added that Darwinder would go to Ms Siti's flat at night and there would be loud arguments.
Mr Low recalled: "They would quarrel a minimum of five to six times a week.
"Up and down the corridor, everyone could hear.
"I'm afraid I don't know what they were shouting about as they were speaking in Malay."
Darwinder will appear in court next Friday.
If convicted, he faces up to seven years in jail, a fine, caning or any combination of the above.
Madam Kaur said she wants to get her son a lawyer but does not know how to go about it.
She broke down in tears twice during the interview.
"I have to do something but I don't know what. I don't want to live without him."
