Mother pleads guilty to slapping son’s face, stepping on his leg, kicking his body
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The father informed the police that his son had been abused more than a year after the incident.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – A woman, 30, was convicted of abusing her then seven-year-old son by slapping his face, stepping on his leg and kicking his body.
She pleaded guilty on Nov 26 to one charge of ill-treating him.
The woman cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order to protect her son’s identity. He is now nine years old.
On Nov 21, 2022, at a location redacted from court documents, the boy’s parents had an argument over the mother’s use of abusive language towards the son, Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh said.
After their argument, the father went to the living room to pray while she made a phone call. As she was on the phone in the hallway of the living room, she reprimanded the boy, who was walking around the living room.
She slapped his face and he stumbled backwards. She advanced towards him aggressively, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor, as she continued reprimanding him and pointing her finger at him, said the prosecutor.
As he lay on the floor, she stepped on his leg and kicked his body. Her acts were caught on CCTV.
Hearing the commotion, the father intervened and a scuffle ensued between the adults.
More than a year later in January 2024, the father informed the police that his son had been abused. It was not mentioned in court why there was a delay in reporting.
DPP Koh sought 9 to 10 months’ jail for the offender, noting the young age of the boy and the fact that it was his own parent who abused him.
Defence lawyer A. Rajandran urged the court to call for a probation suitability report for his client. He noted that the abuse was an isolated incident which lasted around 10 seconds, and that the boy did not suffer any significant injuries.
“Both mother and child are moving on with their lives... She has provided stability and safety for the child, as the child’s sole caregiver,” he added.
The court heard that the offender and her husband are estranged.
In response, DPP Koh said probation was unsuitable for the mother, who is an adult offender.
“If probation were to be imposed, it would clearly send a wrong message to like-minded offenders,” added the DPP.
Mr Rajandran then urged the court to impose a fine of $1,000.
Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh adjourned sentencing to give the defence time to make submissions on the imprisonment term, adding that “a fine is out of the question”.
Judge Soh also asked the mother to use this time to make care arrangements for her children.
She is expected to be sentenced on Dec 29.
This is the latest case in court involving child abuse.
On Aug 19, a pre-school teacher was jailed for four days for ill-treating a child
On Oct 28, a woman was sentenced to six months’ jail
She was working as a programme staff member at a care service provider for kindergarten children when she ill-treated three victims aged four to five.
On Nov 10, a former cook at a pre-school was sentenced to nine years, four months and seven weeks in jail for molesting three toddler girls there
On Nov 20, another pre-school teacher was charged with ill-treating three children under her care, including allegedly force-feeding one child until she vomited.
On Nov 21, a woman was charged over allegedly abusing two boys
She is accused of hitting the toddler once while feeding him milk, and carrying the baby up from the floor before placing him down with excessive force. Court documents did not disclose information about her relationship with the children.
