A 31-year-old mother was sentenced to nine months’ jail on Monday (Jan 26) for assaulting her seven-year-old son by slapping, stepping on and kicking him during a violent outburst at their home.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identities of her children, pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating a child. Two additional charges of voluntarily causing hurt were taken into consideration during sentencing. She indicated through her lawyer that she intends to appeal against the custodial sentence after the court rejected her request for probation or a high fine.
The incident occurred in November 2022 and was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage installed inside the family home. The abuse came to light after the woman’s husband reported the incident to police in 2024, nearly two years later.
The court heard that on Nov 21, 2022, the couple had argued after the woman used abusive language toward their son. Following the argument, the husband went to pray in the living room while the woman stood in the hallway speaking on her phone. Their son was moving around the living room at the time.
According to the prosecution, the woman began scolding the boy and pointing at him before walking toward him and slapping him across the face, causing the child to stumble backwards. She then advanced aggressively, causing him to lose his balance and fall behind a sofa.
As the boy lay on the floor, the woman stepped on his leg and kicked his body repeatedly while continuing to scold him. The child’s father rushed over after hearing the commotion, and a scuffle broke out between the couple before their domestic helper intervened to stop the altercation.
Defence lawyer A. Rajandran urged the court to impose a non-custodial sentence, arguing that the assault was an isolated incident and that there had been no further acts of violence against the children. He said the woman and her husband were now in the midst of a divorce and that she was raising the children as a single mother.
He added that child welfare authorities had assessed the case and found no ongoing child protection concerns, and that the children’s father had not seen them since 2024. Imprisonment, he argued, would disrupt the stable environment the mother was currently providing.
Mr Rajandran also said his client should not be made “an example” or “a scapegoat” due to heightened public concern over child abuse cases, referencing the fatal abuse of five-year-old Megan Khung, which prompted a government review.
During submissions, he criticised the prosecution’s arguments as exaggerated and described them as “somewhat lame”, prompting an objection from Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana, who said such remarks were improper. She added it was the first time she had encountered such language in court.
Ms Boppana told the court that the CCTV footage clearly showed there was no provocation by the child. She said the boy had been playing and had gone to pick up a fan before walking back toward the sofa when the woman suddenly slapped him.
“The child was not even looking at the accused, nor had he said anything to her,” she said, adding that the footage showed the boy crying, recoiling in pain and being kicked multiple times while on the ground.
Although there was no medical evidence of injuries, Ms Boppana argued this was a neutral factor as the child had not been taken for medical treatment. She said the footage demonstrated the degree of force used and the pain the child would have suffered.
Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh agreed with the prosecution that deterrence was necessary. In sentencing the woman to nine months’ jail, he said parents must never abuse their children, even under the guise of discipline.
“Although this incident happened a few years ago, you have to face what you did and face a punishment which in my view is just,” he said.
For ill-treating a child, the woman could have been jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000, or received both penalties.
