'I'll kill you, then kill myself': Yishun man arrested for threatening son

Blood may be thicker than water but one family almost came to blows when they could not agree on how to handle their deceased matriarch's belongings.

A 73-year-old man, who allegedly brandished a knife and threatened to kill his own son after the latter tried to dispose of some of his late mother's items, was arrested for criminal intimidation on June 9, the police confirmed to AsiaOne.

The altercation took place at Blk 314 Yishun Ring Road at 9.18am, in a flat shared by the pair.

Speaking to Lianhe Wanbao, the son, who did not want to be named, explained that his mother had died from an illness five years ago.

After his mother's death, his relationship with his father deteriorated, he said. His father became short-tempered and would often scold him.

"Whenever I organised my mum's belongings, my father would get very angry and ask me to stop," he told the Chinese evening daily.

"The problem is, these belongings were miscellaneous items that she had collected, including old, dirty paper bags and toothbrushes. These have no sentimental value at all and are not hygienic."

On the day of the incident, he was in the kitchen doing housework and was about to throw some old paper bags and yellowed toothbrushes away, he recalled.

When his father found out, he flew into a rage and picked up a fruit knife.

"He pointed the knife at me and shouted, 'You dare to throw, I will kill you, then kill myself!'"

Fearing for his life, the son fled to the living room and called the police.

His father had previously threatened him with a knife in March but he did not make a police report then on account of familial ties, he said, adding that he had done so this time as he was truly afraid.

As the elderly man was escorted to a police car, he reportedly told neighbours that his son had hit him and that the police were taking him to the police station to make a report.

However, the son denied hitting his father, saying: "He's my father. How could I possibly hit him and be an unfilial son? It pains me more than anyone that things have gotten to this state."

If convicted of criminal intimidation, the elderly man could face up to two years' jail, or a fine, or both.

If convicted of aggravated criminal intimidation, which includes threats to cause death or grievous hurt, he could face up to 10 years' jail, or a fine, or both.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com