A man and a woman were given a jail sentence on Tuesday ( Sep 17 ) for beating an 11-year-old girl with special needs, leaving her with bruises.
The victim, who is now 15 and has high-functioning autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD), was kept anonymous for the identity of all parties.
The girl – the murderer’s mother– was handed 10 months ‘ prison, while the man , – the woman’s boyfriend – was given 12 months ‘ jail.
The two 36-year-old Singaporeans had admitted guilt to a charge of each under the Children and Young Persons Act ( CYPA ) for knowingly allowing child abuse and maltreatment.
In punishment, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan said he took into account the man’s major depressive disorder, which affected his capacity to exercise self-control.
Because of this, he reduced the boy’s word by three times. He did point out that a physician from the Institute of Mental Health had determined that the guy was also aware of the wrongdoing of his actions and had not made any further adjustments.
Judge Shaiffudin listed a number of additional exacerbating aspects in the case, including the girl’s considerable injury to her arms and legs from being repeatedly hit with a buckle, her 10-day hospitalization, and the psychological damage the ill-treatment caused her.
The prey was afraid to go back to the apartment, and she also had feelings for sadness and fear. The judge also mentioned the recurring beatings in her nightmares and ideas.
As the child had specific needs, she was of “especially great vulnerability”, and there were intrusions of faith by both her mother and the person, whom the victim called “daddy”.
In suffering physical assault on the target, the man had acted deliberately, which means he is more guilty and should get a harsher word, the prosecutor noted.
But, he also considered the limiting factors in the case, which were the couple’s petition of grief and cooperation with the officers, as well as the man’s intellectual problem.
Context OF THE CASE
The victim’s family had a “very tough marriage”, according to her attorney Mr Kalidass Murugaiyan.
She and her child, who also has a moderate fluency disorder and dementia, met her co-accused in 2019, and he first had a good relationship with her.
The partners used a cane after beating the woman with a hanger for being rude in February 2020.
The gentleman assumed the role of caretaker, according to the army, and punished the lady in different manners for items like not wanting to wake up or complete her homework.
The victim’s family was often present and allowed it during the punishment.
A meeting was set for August 26, 2020, and the person left wood marks on the woman after they were discovered by her teacher.
However, the man gave the girl a beat with a buckle before the conference was taking place, which left her with marks and bruises on her arms and legs.
He hit her about 20 days with the pulley, using the conclusion that did not have a lock.
Eventually, the victim’s tutor spoke to her, spoke to her, and reported the incident to her university after hearing about the broad bruises on her.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development ( MSF ) received the report, and the police arrived.
The couple made it clear during studies that they had gone over and had punished the girl cruelly.  ,
The defense requested four times for the person and three for the girl, while the prosecutors requested 12 to 14 months in prison for the male and 10 to 12 months for the person.
The judge ordered the couple to start their jail terms on November 1st, allowing the woman to resolve work issues and schedule an eye appointment with her father, and the man to resolve car-rental issues and arrange for his four pets.
The child has been moved to another family member, and the couple no longer serves her, according to CNA.
The penalty for ill-treating a child under the CYPA, or allowing such ill-treatment, is a jail term of up to eight years, a fine of up to S$ 8, 000 ( US$ 6, 180 ), or both.