Man spat on sister, assaulted her and injured her eardrum after she argued with their mum

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
Nov 3, 2022

Unhappy with his younger sister for quarrelling with their mother, a man assaulted his sibling, whose left eardrum was perforated during the attack.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Louis Ngia said that the victim, Ms Jessie Raj, 31, suffered hearing loss but has since recovered.

Following the attack, she was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ms Jessie’s assailant, Suresh Minhas, 39, pleaded guilty on Thursday to an assault charge.

Three other charges, including another count of assault, will be considered during sentencing.

Ms Jessie had quarrelled with her mother on Sept 25, 2021, at around 3pm as the older woman had allowed Suresh to take items such as their family photos.

DPP Ngia said: “The victim demanded possession of some of those items, and that if he did not return those items, she would confront the accused in front of his wife... The victim’s mother then contacted the accused to inform him about the quarrel.”

Suresh arrived at the women’s home at around 3.30pm and confronted his sister.

The siblings argued, and he hurled insults at his sister. He also spat on her, said the prosecutor.

Suresh then punched Ms Jessie in the face after she threatened to call the police.

DPP Ngia told the court: "They entered into a scuffle, during which time in defence of herself, the victim tore the accused’s shirt, and bruised his left collarbone area.

"As a result of the said punch, the victim suffered hurt – a left eardrum traumatic perforation secondary to assault, with bleeding from the left ear. She also suffered conductive hearing loss."

Ms Jessie called the police at around 4.20pm.

Suresh, who is represented by lawyer Gino Hardial Singh, has given his sister $10,000 to date to compensate for expenses such as medical, legal and counselling fees.

He has also handed her $3,000 for joint counselling sessions for Ms Jessie and their mother.

On Thursday, the prosecutor said he did not object to Suresh being assessed for suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO) as the offender had been found to have intermittent explosive disorder at the time of the offences.

Individuals with the disorder have frequent, recurring and intense outbursts of rage and aggression.

Those issued an MTO undergo treatment for their mental condition in lieu of jail time.

The court then called for an assessment report and Suresh is now expected to be sentenced on Dec 2.

On Monday, the police said more people have been making police reports on family violence since 2020. A total of 5,190 such reports were filed in 2021, up from 5,134 in 2020.

Meanwhile, the police have been ramping up efforts to better support victims of family violence.

For instance, in July, family violence community policing officers were introduced in all 34 neighbourhood police centres.