\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: The stepmother of two children who were abused by their father until one of them died is set to plead guilty to charges of joining her then-spouse in ill-treating the children.<\/p>\n
The 35-year-old Singaporean woman, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims including the surviving boy, was given the date of Mar 13 to plead guilty after a pre-trial conference on Friday (Jan 9).<\/p>\n
She faces six charges pertaining to the abuse of the children and to lying to the police about being abused by her then-spouse. She had testified during the man’s trial that they were in the midst of divorce proceedings.<\/p>\n
The girl was five when she died and her brother was a year younger than her.<\/p>\n
The woman is accused of ill-treating her two stepchildren, along with her then-husband, by barricading them in the corner of a room measuring around 90cm by 90cm with limited space for movement.<\/p>\n
This was over about eight months from February 2016.<\/p>\n
She is also accused of ill-treating the children with her then-husband by confining the kids naked in the toilet from October 2016 to August 2017.<\/p>\n
On Aug 12, 2017, the woman allegedly gave false information to the police by claiming that her husband had punched her a few times when she did not want to entertain him, intending to get the officer to stop investigating her.<\/p>\n
The following week, she allegedly lied to the police that her husband had wanted to have sex with her, but assaulted her when she refused and tried to resist.<\/p>\n
The girl was presented dead at a hospital on Aug 12, 2017, malnourished and skinny.<\/p>\n
Her stepmother had testified at the trial of her father.<\/p>\n
The father of the children was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment.<\/p>\n
If convicted of ill-treating a child under her care, the woman could be jailed for up to four years, fined up to S$4,000, or both per charge.<\/p>\n
If convicted of giving false information to the police, she could be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n