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SINGAPORE: A 47-year-old man pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Dec 16) to ill-treating his two sons, the older of whom has special needs.<\/p>\n
He had lodged a police report against himself for use of excessive force when disciplining his older son, and his then-wife followed suit a few months later, saying her husband had committed family violence against her two boys for the five years prior with increasing intensity.<\/p>\n
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identities of his sons, admitted to three counts of ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA). Another five charges will be considered in sentencing.<\/p>\n
The court heard that the Singaporean man has two sons with his ex-wife aged 15 and 11.<\/p>\n
The older boy has special needs, but is high-functioning.<\/p>\n
The family moved overseas in 2015 and returned to Singapore in 2019.<\/p>\n
According to the man’s ex-wife, he would slap and pinch the boys, making them kneel and denying them meals as punishment.<\/p>\n
In 2020, when disciplining his older son over an unspecified incident, the man pinched his chest, causing bruises.<\/p>\n
In March 2020, the boy’s tuition teacher noticed the bruises when the boy happened to pull his shirt up.<\/p>\n
The then-nine-year-old boy said the bruises were caused by his father, and the teacher took a photo, feeling that it was “not normal”.<\/p>\n
While at home sometime in early January 2024, the man was angry at his older son for being rude.<\/p>\n
He hit him multiple times and threatened to hit him with an object but his then-wife stepped between them to stop him.<\/p>\n
The man also made the boy, then 13, kneel on the floor.<\/p>\n
The boy sustained bruises and scratches from the abuse.<\/p>\n
In 2021, the man was angry with his younger son and told him to take off his pants and face the wall.<\/p>\n
He then used a cane and forcefully hit his buttocks and legs multiple times, leaving marks and abrasions.<\/p>\n
The boy was six years old.<\/p>\n
The man’s ex-wife moved out with her two boys after an incident in January 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In March 2024, the man lodged a police report against himself for use of excessive violence when disciplining his older son.<\/p>\n
In May 2024, on the advice of a social worker, the boys’ mother lodged a police report against the accused for family violence, which she said had been occurring against her sons for the past five years with increasing intensity.<\/p>\n
The prosecution sought 16 to 18 months’ jail for the man, highlighting the need for deterrence in child abuse cases.<\/p>\n
He said it was “no excuse” for an accused person to say they were angry or frustrated when they committed the offences.<\/p>\n
The level of harm was “not insignificant”, and that both boys sustained physical injuries which “were not minor”, he added.<\/p>\n
The abusive acts were also sustained over a prolonged period of time, said the prosecutor.<\/p>\n
Defence lawyer Sara Ng said this was not a case of “senseless or malicious violence”, and that the acts were all carried out “in the context of discipline”.<\/p>\n
She said her client “is a devoted father who has made immense sacrifices”. This includes quitting his career and moving overseas to support his older son’s condition.<\/p>\n
She said the offences involved “misguided discipline” and not “unprovoked aggression”.<\/p>\n
For the charge of pinching the older son’s chest, Ms Ng said the boy had been rude to his mother and refused to apologise, and this was a disciplinary action against him.<\/p>\n
For another charge when the man hit his older son with his hands, this arose over frustration for the boy’s “persistent non-compliant behaviour” when he was being reprimanded.<\/p>\n
As for the caning involving the younger son, Ms Ng said the boy had been violent and had pushed another child at a playground, and her client felt that “strong corrective action” was required.<\/p>\n
However, he fully accepts that his actions were excessive, said the lawyer.<\/p>\n
She argued that his intent was “corrective at all times” and the fact that he had made a police report against himself makes his case very unlike typical abuse cases.<\/p>\n
While the prosecution had raised the point about difficulty of detection, Ms Ng said her client had reported himself “well before” his ex-wife had done so.<\/p>\n
This was because he recognised that he had lost control, and sought intervention to stop himself, she said.<\/p>\n
This demonstrates “genuine contrition” on his part, and he was “not an absent or negligent father”, said Ms Ng.<\/p>\n
The judge said he needed more time to consider the sentence and adjourned the case to January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n