Man assaulted his son, 9, with two umbrellas, cane and hit his wife when she tried to intervene

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
January 29, 2024

A man who disciplined his nine-year-old son by hitting him several times with two umbrellas and a cane was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Jan 29.

The 45-year-old man committed the offence after his wife suspected the boy had stolen $50 during a birthday party.

He also used the cane to hit her when she tried to intervene.

The man had pleaded guilty in November 2023 to assaulting his son.

Another similar charge involving his wife was taken into consideration during sentencing.

He cannot be named to protect the boy’s identity as those below 18 years old are covered under the Children and Young Persons Act.

The mother had accompanied the child to a birthday party on Nov 30, 2022. Before leaving the event, the child told her that the birthday boy had handed him a $50 note.

She told her son to return the cash when she suspected that he was lying, and the boy complied.

The woman later told her husband about what had happened, and he decided to discipline the boy.

Court documents did not disclose if the child had indeed committed theft.

The man used an umbrella to repeatedly strike the child’s palms and thighs. She told her husband to stop hitting their son when the boy began crying.

The man then ordered the boy to leave their home before closing the door. She again intervened and allowed their son back into their home.

Seeing this, he used a bigger umbrella to hit the boy multiple times.

In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordy Kay said: “The accused’s wife again tried to stop the accused from hitting their son. However, the accused did not stop, but instead took a cane and continued to hit his son’s body.

“The accused’s wife continued to plead with the accused to stop hitting their son. Instead of stopping, the accused also hit his wife with the cane after she attempted to shield their son while he was caning him.”

A witness who overheard the commotion alerted the police shortly before midnight that day.

The man eventually stopped the attack and left their home. The police arrived at the scene and arrested him when he returned soon after.

After the beatings, the woman and the boy went to Changi General Hospital, where the latter was found to have multiple red marks all over his body.

Court documents did not disclose details about the woman’s condition after the attack.

The man’s bail was set at $10,000 on Jan 29, and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on March 18 to begin serving his sentence.