Mum who beat 4-year-old son to death for not reciting numbers gets 14 and a half years in prison

A woman frustrated that her son was unable to recite the number sequence from 11 to 18, pushed, stepped on, and lifted him by the neck against the wall, causing him to die from a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain. 

The 35-year-old accused, Noraidah Mohd Yussof, was initially sentenced to eight years in prison, but the sentence length was later revised by the judge to 14 and a half years after an appeal from the prosecution on Jul 6, 2017, reports Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao. 

The revision came in light of revelations in court by the prosecution, who said that the accused had discovered she was expecting just as she was about to land a model contract, and later found out that her husband was cheating on her, prompting her to take her frustration out on the child.

Court documents also stated that on Aug 1, 2014, Noraidah had asked the victim, four-year-old Mohammad Airyl Amirul Haziq Mohamed Ariff to recite the number sequence from 11 to 18 in their Eunos Crescent home, but became enraged when he was unable to.

She then shoved him in the chest, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head.

After the victim got back on his feet and was still unable to meet the accused’s demands, she not only pushed him until he fell, but also stepped on his knees three to four times.

She became so infuriated that she later strangled and lifted him by his neck against the wall, until the child started gasping for air, before letting go.

The victim stopped moving after a while and was conveyed to a hospital, where he died four days later.

He had fractured his skull and was also bleeding in the brain, reports The Straits Times. 

The judge, taking into consideration the analysis of two medical experts, sentenced the accused to eight years in prison. 

However, the prosecution later appealed in the High Court, and alleged that the accused had divulged to a psychiatrist that she was so close to landing a model contract until she discovered that she was pregnant, and had to give up on her dreams.

She also admitted that she did not love the kid after finding out that her husband was cheating on her, and that she did not have any ‘feelings’ towards the death of her son. 

She even attempted to blame the death on others, adding that if other people were able to care for her son, he would not be dead.

The prosecution pointed out that the accused had no sense of remorse and asked for a harsher sentencing.

The judge ultimately agreed to the prosecution’s request, and sentenced the accused to 14.5 years in prison.