It’s always baffling and horrifying to hear stories of children being abused by their own parents, and this father’s case is no different.
According to The New Paper, this father of five who works as a delivery man physically abused four of his children, making their domestic life a “living hell.”
“When his misdeeds were about to be exposed by a social worker, he threatened to commit suicide,” the report said. “He then sat on the kitchen window ledge of his sixth-story flat after placing his terrified third son there.”
The father of five pleaded guilty in court on July 21 to three counts of ill-treating a child, and one count each of endangering personal safety by performing a rash act and threatening a public service worker and voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
Also being taken into consideration are three counts of ill-treating a child, and another one of intentionally causing alarm.
In fact, on February 7, the police were alerted of the abuse when his nine year old son’s teacher noticed the boy’s bruises.
Despite this, the abuse didn’t stop.
“About a month later, the man’s second son, then seven, was lying on a mattress in the living room when his stepmother—the man’s second wife—stepped on his right knee and slapped him for not putting away his belongings properly.”
When the father heard about the incident, he then proceeded to step on his son twice more on his hand and once on his abdomen.
The commotion woke up one of his sons, who the father stepped on as well before returning to his room.
The two boys were then sent to an orphanage to prevent them from being hurt again.
“On March 8 this year, the man’s third son, now six, accompanied him to make a delivery in Yishun,” the report said. “When the boy started misbehaving at a carpark, his father tossed a lit cigarette at him, which hit his face. He also kicked the boy’s stomach and slapped his face.”
Another incident:
Once, he had gotten into an argument with his wife, making their baby daughter cry.
Grabbing the baby’s leg, he dangled her upside down and tried to punch her. Thankfully he failed. The next day, the mother then filed a police report.
“A child protection officer from the Ministry of Social and Family Development went to their flat at about 6.15pm on April 13.”
During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stephanie Koh urged District Judge Mathew Joseph to jail the man for three years.
“The facts show that the accused had callously used his children as punching bags to vent his anger with no restraint and total disregard for whether they could be injured in the process,” she said.
The father’s defense lawyer, Mr Noor Mohamed Marican, told the judge that that the father only did his offenses because he was stressed.
Meanwhile, District Judge Mathew Joseph told the father: “You seem to be imaginative in the kinds of perverse harm you caused your children. Child abuse has no place in society especially… on your own child. [It is] particularly repugnant.”
The New Paper report says that the father faces four years of jail time and a fine of up to SGD 4,000. He ill be sentenced on Aug 4.
READ: The difference between child discipline and punishment?
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