S'porean mum, 31, who slapped, kicked & stepped on son, 7, gets 9 months' jail

A 31-year-old Singaporean woman, who slapped, kicked and stepped on her seven-year-old son, was on Jan. 26 sentenced to nine months' jail.

The woman cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identities of her children, who continue to live with her and remain under her care.

According to CNA, the woman pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating a child.

Two other charges of voluntarily causing hurt were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The woman also indicated that she would appeal her sentence, after her lawyer failed to seek probation or a heavier fine instead of imprisonment.

Advanced "aggressively" towards son

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that the incident took place in 2022 and was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

The woman's husband subsequently reported it to the police in 2024.

The assault occurred on Nov. 21, 2022, after the woman and her husband argued at home following her use of abusive language towards their son.

After the argument, the husband went to pray in the living room.

As he was doing so, the woman stood in the hallway of the living room while on a phone call as their son walked around the living room.

She suddenly began to scold her son and walked towards him, slapped him and caused him to back away and stumble.

She then "aggressively" advanced towards him, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor behind the sofa.

She continued to reprimand her son, and also stepped on his legs and kicked his body as he laid down on the floor.

Upon hearing the commotion, the husband quickly ran over to stop the woman, leading to a scuffle between the couple, with their domestic helper intervening.

A one-off incident: Defence

According to CNA, during mitigation, the woman's lawyer shared that the couple were now in the midst of divorce proceedings, and that the woman was raising her children as a single parent.

He argued it was an isolated incident, with no further violence reported, adding that her case had been assessed not to have child protective concerns.

He also told the court the children’s father had not seen them since 2024.

"I urge your honour not to disrupt the stable environment provided by the mother for her children," he said.

The lawyer also said his client should not be made an "example" or "a scapegoat" amid public concern over the Megan Khung case.

He also claimed that the prosecution had exaggerated the facts and made "somewhat lame" arguments.

In response, the prosecution said that even if they disagreed, it was improper to describe the prosecution's arguments as "lame", adding that it was the first time it had heard such a remark in court.

It also affirmed that its description of the incident was based purely on what was seen in the CCTV footage and said the child had not provoked the woman.

"The child was not even looking at the accused, nor had he said anything to her, prior to her commencing her attack on him. The child winces and clasps his face immediately in pain," said the prosecution.

It added that even as the boy backed away, the woman followed and kicked him while he was on the ground:

"The child is heard crying and tries to turn away from the accused, but she proceeds to kick him twice more, as the child continues to wail in pain and rubs his eyes as he cries."

The prosecution also argued that the lack of medical evidence of injuries was a neutral factor, as the boy was not given medical attention following the incident.

The judge agreed with the prosecution's proposed jail term, stating that there was a need for deterrence.

She also said she hoped that parents remember that they must not abuse their children, even if it is done in the guise of discipline.

The woman could have been jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000, or both, for ill-treating a child.

Top photos via Canva and Mothership