Drug addict breaks child's bones

Angry with his girlfriend's four-year-old daughter for defecating on a mattress, he grabbed her faeces and smeared it on her face.

This caused her to eat some of her own waste in the incident last November.

Even after her mother, 32, intervened and took her to the bathroom to clean her up, Mohammad Rudy Madon, 37, could not control his rage.

As the girl sat on a mattress, the former army regular punched and stepped on her right thigh several times, fracturing her bone.

He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of child abuse, two counts of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and three drug-related charges.

Five other similar charges will be taken into consideration for his sentencing on Oct 10.

The mother and daughter cannot be named to protect the victim's identity.

Twisted ankle

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Rachel Lee told the court that on another occasion late last year, Mohammad Rudy also twisted the girl's right ankle, causing another fracture.

It was not mentioned why he had done so.

Her injury went unnoticed until her preschool teacher noticed her limping badly on Dec 26 last year.

The court was told that her mother had not sought medical treatment for the girl as she had to take care of her other three children.

The three children were fathered by Mohammad Rudy while the victim was from another relationship.

The teacher told her principal who observed the girl the next day and noticed she had difficulty walking and appeared not to be able to move her right leg.

The principal phoned the mother, who agreed to let the principal take the girl to a nearby clinic. But a doctor there suggested the girl be taken to the emergency department of KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH).

A doctor later told the principal that the girl's right leg was fractured and she had to be admitted for treatment.

The principal then called the mother to update her on her daughter's condition.

But Mohammad Rudy interrupted the conversation because he was upset about not being informed of the decision to admit the girl to KKH, the court heard.

DPP Lee told District Judge Jasbendar Kaur that the principal reported the girl's injury to the police at around 5pm and Mohammad Rudy was arrested soon after.

A medical report on Feb 6 this year revealed that she had fractures on her right thigh and ankle.

Mohammad Rudy also admitted to three drug-related offences.

As a result of an earlier drug abuse case, he had to report to the Jurong Police Divisional Headquarters every Wednesday for urine tests between Oct 2, 2008, and Oct 1, 2010.

But he failed to report for them from June 23, 2010. Efforts were made to trace him but to no avail, DPP Lee said.

Two bottles of his urine samples on Dec 28 last year were found to contain traces of methamphetamine, Ice.

He admitted that he had taken the drug on Dec 25 after buying it from a man known only as "Sam" in Redhill.

Relapsed

The court heard that he had relapsed to abusing the drug about two months before his arrest because he wanted to feel "relaxed".

DPP Lee pressed the judge to jail Mohammad Rudy for 24 to 27 months for his offences.

But his lawyer, Mr Louis Joseph from Regent Law, called for a minimum sentence.

In mitigation, Mr Joseph said his client had abused the girl while under the influence of drugs.

And he had always felt extremely remorseful for his actions after coming out of his stupor.

Mr Joseph said: "(Mohammad Rudy) wishes to attend counselling in prison as he would like to return home upon release a better man."

For each count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to the girl, he can be jailed up to 10 years and fined or caned.

And for taking Ice, he can be jailed up to 10 years and fined up to $20,000.

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