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A 23-year-old Singaporean man was about to engage in sexual intercourse with his girlfriend when their child started to cry.
In a fit of rage, he kicked his six-week-old baby's pram, causing the pram to topple over and the child to fall and hit his head on the ground.
The man was sentenced to 13 months and nine weeks' jail with three strokes of the cane on Friday (May 5) for a slew of offences, including theft and harassment.
A total of 13 charges were taken into consideration.
The man cannot be named as a gag order is in place to protect the identity of the victim.
Background information
On the evening of Nov. 15, 2022, the man, his then-girlfriend and their six-week-old son were gathered at the void deck of Block 464B Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, where the man's girlfriend lived.
The girlfriend told the man that she wanted to go back up to her house, but the man said that he wanted to continue "hanging out" with her.
The duo and their son proceeded to the staircase landing on the eighth floor, where the man proposed to his girlfriend that they have sex.
While they were about to have sex, the son began to cry in his pram.
The man grew agitated, and his girlfriend pushed him aside to comfort their son.
However, before his girlfriend could reach the baby, the man kicked the pram, causing it to topple over to the side.
The boy fell out of the pram and hit his head on the ground.
The pram was around 40cm high from the ground.
The child then bawled louder, and the girlfriend picked up the baby to calm him down.
She shouted at the man, saying that the child was his son too.
The man coldly replied that he "was not interested" and "dared" his girlfriend to ask her mother and brother to confront him.
In a fit of rage, the man picked up the pram and threw it down from the eighth floor.
He also threw his girlfriend's backpack and a tin of milk powder down as well.
The girlfriend then took the son to the hospital as she observed a red mark on his forehead.
It was revealed that the son suffered a 1.5cm linear erythema mark on his forehead, but did not suffer any other injuries or bruising.
Other charges
The man previously committed various other offences.
While the man was undergoing reformative training, he failed to show up to the Reformative Training Centre (RTC) when he was recalled, and committed fresh offences while released on supervision.
While he was released on supervision, the man also deliberately cut his electronic tag that he had to wear on his ankle on two separate occasions.
When his reintegration officer directed him to report to Selarang Park Community Supervision Centre after he had cut his ankle tag, the man failed to comply.
On Sep. 18, 2021, the man allegedly stole an unlocked bicycle at Bukit Batok and used it to cycle to his fiancée's house.
On Mar. 18, 2022, the man, along with his younger brother and a friend, acted on behalf of an unknown moneylender to harass a victim and their family by spray painting their house door with red paint.
They also left a note stating that they would commit arson if the victim did not contact the moneylender.
Victim was particularly vulnerable: prosecution
DPP Wu Yu Jie stated that the child was particularly susceptible to head injuries given the baby's young age.
The man was "in a position of responsibility in relation to the victim as the victim's father", but committed the rash act to cause hurt to the victim.
Furthermore, the offence was committed while the man was on bail.
The man also could have caused much potential harm when throwing down the baby's pram and milk powder, which could have caused significant injury to passers-by.
Top photo via Unsplash