An unemployed man who beat up his 63-year-old mother and poured hot water on her was jailed for three years yesterday.

Rajesh Pannu, who suffers from chronic schizophrenia and was not suffering a relapse at the time, hit his mother with a broomstick until it broke. The 32-year-old also threw her walking frame away, hit her on the forehead with a plastic mug and threatened to kill her.

Rajesh, whose sentence was backdated to his remand on Nov 20 last year, pleaded guilty to three of five charges in July.

He was watching television at home in Tampines on Nov 19 when he accused his mother, Madam Narindar Kaur, of making noise when she used her walking frame. In anger, he grabbed it and threw it away.

When she told him she would call his uncle for help, Rajesh slapped and punched her on the face and body several times.

He also took her mobile phone and threw it on the floor, unplugged the telephone and took it out of the living room.

Next, he hit her all over with a broomstick until it broke. Bleeding from the nose and in great pain, she made her way to her bedroom.

Rajesh became angrier on seeing that she could walk without her frame and hit her forehead repeatedly with a plastic mug.

He left and returned with a knife to continue his "vicious and merciless" assault, the court heard.

He said: "I want to kill you!". He slashed her right forearm twice and left the room to boil water to cook noodles.

He then took the pot of hot water and poured it on his mother, saying again: "I want to kill you!". After that, he poured a second pot of hot water on her and went to sleep.

She made her way to the toilet, where she fell because she held on to a loose basin.

When Rajesh later found her lying on the toilet floor, he called for an ambulance.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap, who had previously asked for 36 months' jail and caning to be imposed, told Community Court Judge Mathew Joseph yesterday that the prosecution had reviewed its stance and would not be seeking caning in view of Rajesh's condition.

Mr Sunil Sudheesan, from the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore, who came on board in August, asked that Rajesh's psychiatric report be enclosed in the warrant of commitment to ensure that he gets full treatment while in Changi Prison.

"Ultimately, this is a case where the offences are serious and a length of custody is certainly required. My client accepts responsibility for his actions," he said.

For causing grievous hurt with a heated substance, the maximum penalty is 15 years' jail and fine or caning.

In a separate case in the same court, Nelson Kee Zhi Ming, 27, was sentenced to eight months' jail for breaking the rib of his father, Mr Kee Moh Seem, 63, in his home in Bukit Batok on July 14 .

The son was handed a concurrent sentence of five days for using criminal force on his 53-year-old mum by pushing her.

Kee had quarrelled with his father and later pushed him to the ground and knelt on his rib area.

The maximum punishment for causing grievous hurt is 10 years' jail and fine or caning .