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Father pleads guilty to hurting 6-month-old son, assaulting wife who intervened

SINGAPORE — Frustrated over his infant son’s cries, a 25-year-old father held him face down on a bed by the neck, causing the boy to vomit some milk.

The father of a six-month-old boy pleaded guilty to hurting him. The infant was taken to hospital after the mother reported the case to the police.

The father of a six-month-old boy pleaded guilty to hurting him. The infant was taken to hospital after the mother reported the case to the police.

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SINGAPORE — Frustrated over his infant son’s cries, a 25-year-old father held him face down on a bed by the neck, causing the boy to vomit some milk.

He then punched his 20-year-old wife after she tried to take their child away. She managed to flee and filed a police report against him.

The man, who works as a night-shift cleaner, pleaded guilty in court on Monday (Nov 25) to two charges of causing hurt to his wife and child. They cannot be named due to a court order to protect the victims’ identities.

District Judge May Mesenas called for reports to assess if he is suitable for a community service order or day reporting order. Both are community-based sentences and offenders will not have a criminal record if they successfully complete them.

The father remains out on bail and is expected to be sentenced in January next year.

The court heard that the incident happened on Sept 2 this year in the flat they shared with the man’s brother and sister-in-law, who were dating each other. The infant was six months old at the time.

Investigations revealed that the man was trying to sleep earlier that morning, but the noises his son was making woke him up.

He scolded the boy and asked him to remain quiet, then shouted at his wife and told her he would ill-treat both of them. He went back to sleep afterwards.

At about 3pm, he demanded that his wife let their son lie next to him in bed.

While she was reluctant to do so, she eventually did. A few moments later, she heard the boy crying and saw him lying face down on the mattress with the man pressing on his neck.

The infant was crying and had vomited a bit of milk on the bed. She immediately tried to take the infant away but he refused to allow this, and they began struggling.

Court documents showed that the man also wrapped his hands around the infant “very tightly” then.

The wife got her sister and brother-in-law to help, and slapped her husband in order to get their son away from him. Angered by this, he punched her forehead.

She fled the flat with the infant and handed the baby to a neighbour before going to Punggol Neighbourhood Police Centre to report the case.

She was taken to the hospital later that day, where she was diagnosed with a minor head injury and given seven days of hospitalisation leave.

The boy was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and examined by a doctor, who found no injuries on him.

For causing hurt by a rash act endangering the child’s safety, the father could be jailed up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

For causing hurt to his wife, he could be jailed up to two years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

Related topics

court crime child abuse assault parent

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