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2 years' probation for teen who threatened to kill mum with chopper, fractured her rib 

SINGAPORE — A 17-year-old who punched his mother until her rib fractured and threatened to kill her while wielding a chopper has been sentenced to 24 months’ probation. 

File photo of the Singapore State Courts.

File photo of the Singapore State Courts.

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  • A teenager who pleaded guilty to assaulting his mother and threatening to kill her with a chopper was sentenced to 24 months' probation
  • His probation officer said he had made "pro-social" changes over the past few months such as progress at school and volunteering
  • The prosecution questioned the teen's motives for these changes and if his probation conditions are sufficient to ensure good behaviour 
  • This is because the case was "extremely serious" and saw "exceptional violence" in a family setting 

SINGAPORE — A youth who punched his mother until her rib fractured and threatened to kill her while wielding a chopper has been sentenced to 24 months’ probation. 

Now aged 17, he pleaded guilty in June last year to three counts of causing hurt to his mother and one count of criminal intimidation. 

A court heard then that due to anger management issues, he began assaulting his mother every two to three weeks in 2019 when he was 12 or 13, and would occasionally tell her to “go and kill herself”. 

He would also play online games for up to 10 hours a day and slept poorly.

Feeling agitation at his mother, he once punched her left rib cage, eye, head and mouth until she started bleeding on her lip and her rib was fractured in November 2022. 

On another occasion in the same month, the teenager used a hard-cover book to hit her face and punched her head, after which the mother called the police.

Before the police arrived, the son threatened his mother by saying “I will kill you”, while holding a 16.5cm chopper and bringing the weapon close to her chest. 

As part of his probation conditions, the teenager will have to reside at an approved institution for 12 months and will need to perform 100 hours of community service. 

The youth and his mother cannot be named due to a court order.

PROBATION SUITABILITY 

A probation suitability report was called for the teenager when he was convicted last June. 

In court on Monday, his probation officer Jacinda Tan named four factors that contributed to his “pro-social” changes over the past few months.

They were: The teen’s part-time employment, a reduction in his computer gaming habits, his progress in school and his volunteering efforts. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Marcus Foo questioned Ms Tan on her assessment of whether the teen had changed his behaviour only in a bid to avoid reformative training.

This is a harsher type of penalty involving a regimented rehabilitation programme for youth offenders. Unlike probation and community sentences, it results in a criminal record. 

In response, Ms Tan said that one “cannot really” assess why he had made these changes, but noted that the teenager had “expressed remorse and regret” for his behaviour, which had resulted in his family no longer living together in one household.

She added that the teenager had reported a better understanding of what triggered his anger, which were the occasions of his mother’s “nagging”, his poor stress management and excessive gaming habits at the time.

The youth has also been seeing three different counsellors on a monthly basis. After sentencing, he would continue to receive counselling services and would be assessed for his suitability to attend a programme targeting his use of violence, she added. 

The prosecution and the teenager’s lawyer agreed with the assessment that he was suitable for 24 months’ probation. 

However, the “exceptional violence” in a family setting was "extremely serious", which motivated the prosecution to question areas of the probation report, said DPP Foo. 

These include concerns about the reasons for the teenager’s “post-conviction changes in behaviour” and whether these could be consistently maintained. 

DPP Foo asked for an additional progress report to be called in addition to the stipulated review scheduled for four months’ time, so that monitoring of the teen’s progress would not be “one-off”.

He also proposed the use of electronic tagging as part of the teen’s probation conditions. 

If any of the youth’s probation conditions were breached, DPP Foo added, the prosecution would be inclined to seek reformative training for the teenager. 

The youth's lawyer, Mr Justin Ng of Kalco Law LLC, said that his client was “willing to go any distance to effect positive change in his life” and would accept the existing probation conditions despite being nervous about having to stay in a hostel. 

Mr Ng argued against mandating electronic tagging, as this could introduce “some degree of embarrassment” for the young man, who would soon return to school.

District Judge Carol Ling rejected the prosecution’s suggested additional probation conditions of electronic tagging and an extra review and said she would review the teenager’s progress at the four-month mark. 

In a choked voice, the teenager thanked the prosecution for its “fair and thorough” questioning and said he understood probation would be the “first step to change”. 

Addressing the teenager, the judge said the probation he was being given was “not short” and would be his “one chance” to change his behaviour. 

“You should not be walking out of the court thinking that you’ve gotten away with it. This is a serious matter, domestic violence, that even though (the circumstances) are exceptional, should not be condoned or justified,” said the judge. 

For causing hurt, the teenager could have been jailed for up to five years or fined up to S$10,000, or both. 

Those convicted of criminal intimidation can be jailed for up to 10 years or fined, or both.

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