Jail for father who ill-treated sons, reported himself to police for excessive force

In March 2020, the boy’s tuition teacher noticed the bruises when the boy happened to pull his shirt up.

The then-nine-year-old boy said the bruises were caused by his father, and the teacher took a photo, feeling that this was “not normal”.

While at home sometime in early January 2024, the man was angry at his older son for being rude.

He hit him multiple times and threatened to hit him with an object but his then-wife stepped between them to stop him.

The man also made the boy, then 13, kneel on the floor. The boy sustained bruises and scratches from the abuse.

In 2021, the man was angry with his younger son and told him to take off his pants and face the wall.

He then used a cane and forcefully hit the then-six-year-old’s buttocks and legs multiple times, leaving marks and abrasions.

The man’s ex-wife moved out with her two boys to ensure their safety after an incident in January 2024.

In March 2024, the man lodged a police report against himself for use of excessive violence when disciplining his older son.

Two months later, on the advice of a social worker, the boys’ mother lodged a police report against the man for family violence, which she said had been occurring against her sons for the past five years with increasing intensity.

The prosecution had sought 16 to 18 months’ jail for the man, while his defence lawyer had argued that the offences involved “misguided discipline” and not “unprovoked aggression”.

The punishment for ill-treatment of a child is up to eight years in jail, a fine of up to S$8,000 or both penalties.