9 months' jail, fine for dad who choked and tied up young son

A delivery driver who bit his son and later choked him and tied him up with a bicycle cord was jailed and fined on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was jailed for nine months and fined $4,500.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treatment of a child and one charge each of voluntarily causing hurt and harassment.

Another five charges, including one over a road rage incident, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

In November 2018, the man's wife took their two sons, then aged five and one, to the polyclinic.

The older boy bit his younger brother on the right thigh while they were playing there.

When the man found out about it in the evening that day, he caned and bit his older son on the thigh, wanting him to feel how painful it was to be bitten.

When the boy was taken to the hospital for a planned visit the following month, the police were called after a nurse saw the man handling his son roughly by grabbing him, forcing him to lie down and holding down his legs.

The doctor also found injuries on the boy.

In March 2019, the man was driving his van to collect parcels when the same boy vomited in the van.

The man became angry and later grabbed the boy, lifting him up by the neck and back, choking him.

The boy cried and screamed. His father told him that he hated him.

He then used a bicycle cord to tie the boy's hands together, and the boy dislodged a tooth while struggling to be free of the restraint.

A member of the public who saw bits of what happened called the police, and officers were able to trace the man through the van's registration number.

The boy, who was six years old at the time, was taken to hospital and admitted for six days before being discharged into the care of his maternal grandmother.

He was later placed in MINDSville, where he received the necessary help and intervention with his development.

The father was also involved in a road rage incident in July 2018, where he verbally abused a bus driver.

In yet another incident in July 2019, the man got into an argument with his wife, who accused him of having an affair.

He threw a chair at her and missed, and she ran towards him and bit him on his right shoulder.

He retaliated by biting her on her arms. She grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him.

The police were called and the couple were arrested.

The court was told that the couple are still married but estranged, and the man has started a new life with a girlfriend.

He had indicated through his lawyer that he would likely be unable to pay the fine.

If he fails to do so, he will have to serve another 20 days in prison in default.

For each count of ill-treatment of a child, he could be jailed for up to eight years and fined up to $8,000.