S'porean father, 47, who reported himself to the police for ill-treating his 2 sons, including 1 with autism, gets 15 months' jail

A 47-year-old man was sentenced on Jan. 2 to one year and three months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to three counts of causing physical injuries to his children.

Over the course of five years, the man used various means to discipline his two sons, one of whom has autism.

When he was upset at the way they behaved, he would hit them, force them to kneel, or deny them meals.

He eventually reported himself to the police in March 2024, and his then-wife subsequently also reported him to the authorities following the advice of a social worker.

The man pleaded guilty in court to three counts of ill-treating a child on Dec. 16.

Five other charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing.

Due to a gag order to protect the victims' identities, the man cannot be named.

Pinched the chest of his son who has autism

It was previously reported that the man and his ex-wife have two sons, aged 15 and 11. Their older son has special needs but is high-functioning.

The family had moved overseas sometime in 2015 and moved back to Singapore in 2019. In the years that followed, the man resorted to progressively harsher punishments to discipline his sons.

His ex-wife stated that these included slapping, pinching, kicking, and caning, as well as the use of belts or cable wires.

According to The Straits Times, the man started committing the offences around September 2019.

Court documents seen by Mothership reveal that sometime between February and early March 2020, the man pinched his older son's chest over an incident, resulting in bruises.

The boy was reportedly nine-years-old at the time.

In March that same year, the son's tuition teacher noticed the bruises. When she asked him about it, he told her that they were caused by his father. She then proceeded to take a photo of the injuries as she felt that they were "not normal".

Forcefully hit his son's buttocks and legs multiple times with a cane

In 2021, the man made his younger son, who was six at the time, take off his trousers and face the wall after getting angry over an undisclosed matter.

He then forcefully hit his buttocks and legs multiple times with a cane, resulting in marks and abrasions.

In another incident in early January 2024, the man grew angry at his older son, then 13, for being rude and hit him multiple times.

He also threatened to hit the boy with a vacuum pole before his ex-wife intervened.

The boy was made to kneel on the floor, resulting in bruises and scratches.

According to ST, in a separate incident that month, the man again hit and pinched his older son’s body multiple times.

It was previously reported that during the court mention on Dec. 16, the man's lawyer had said that the man's actions were intended as discipline and provided context for each incident, citing the children’s misbehaviour.

His lawyer had argued that the man's intent was corrective rather than abusive, noting that he had reported himself to the police and accepted that his actions were excessive.

Ex-wife moved out with their sons

The man's ex-wife eventually moved out with their two sons following the incident in January 2024.

The man later lodged a police report against himself in March 2024 for using excessive violence when disciplining his older son.

His ex-wife also sought help from a child protection specialist centre.

Acting on the advice of her social worker, she subsequently made a police report against the man two months later, accusing him of family violence.

According to ST, the man’s bail was set at S$15,000 on Jan. 2.

He is expected to begin serving his sentence on Jan. 16.

Top photos via Canva and Mothership