A man who vented his anger on his baby nephew by abusing him over three months and recording the acts with his phone was sentenced to 14 years’ jail on May 20.
The man, 32, who cannot be named due to a gag order, had in April pleaded guilty to eight counts of ill-treatment of a child.
The offender was also ordered to pay $4,000 in compensation to the victim’s parents.
In meting out the sentence, District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan called the offender’s acts on his nephew exceptionally cruel and sadistic.
Doctors also said the abuse had likely contributed to the boy’s developmental delays, noted the judge.
District Judge Koo added that it was deeply distressing to read of the acts, but what was truly harrowing in the case was that the offender recorded the abuse while the baby was crying in agony.
The court heard the man was fuelled by his visceral hatred for his wife’s younger brother and wanted to abuse his son.
He would watch the videos he took of the abuse whenever he was angry with his brother-in-law. Court documents did not state the reason for his anger.
District Judge Koo said the offender’s act of recording the videos was highly dehumanising and sickening, which is worthy of the strongest condemnation.
At the time of the offences, the man and his wife lived in a five-room flat with the baby’s grandmother.
In mid-2024, the grandmother told her son-in-law to bring his baby, who was between nine and 11 months old, to her home as she missed him.
The victim’s father let the baby stay over at his grandmother’s place for a few days at a time. The baby would then be cared for by his grandmother, a domestic helper and the offender.
The uncle would abuse the baby whenever he was left alone with him.
Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew said these acts included hitting, slapping, and pinching the baby on his face or body, twisting his arm, shaking the victim’s head forcefully, and strangling or suffocating the victim.
On July 18, 2024, the man offered to shower the victim. He carried the infant into the master bedroom toilet and placed him into a pail of water while the infant was crying.
The man pushed the infant’s head into the water and held him down for about six seconds.
Later that day, he used the baby’s bolster to hit him in the face and body multiple times.
He also pressed a pillow onto the child’s face for about 10 seconds, causing him to cry.
On Aug 13, 2024, the man took the boy out for a walk. He carried the boy to a void deck and placed him on a metal table.
While the boy was seated on the table, the man flicked his mouth and face several times, and pinched his left cheek forcefully. He also slapped the boy seven times.
He then lifted the boy up by his left leg and held him upside down in the air, before putting him back down on the metal table.
He then slapped the boy, and choked him by lifting him into the air by the neck.
A day later, the man inserted a hanger into the back of the boy’s T-shirt and lifted him up in the air. He then dropped the victim from a standing height onto a mattress on the floor.
The boy landed on the mattress face up, with the hanger behind his neck. The man grabbed the boy’s neck and choked him again.
The infant was gasping for air when the man released his grip.
On Aug 15, 2024, the man lifted the boy up and dropped him onto a bed and choked him again. He also used his left knee to press down on the boy’s foot.
The man continued to choke the boy a few more times, leaving him dazed.
His acts came to light on Sept 16, 2024, when he took the boy out for a walk, grabbing his hair, smacking him and twisting his right arm.
A woman passed by the void deck, saw the abuse and recorded it. She lodged a police report.
When she confronted him, the man released his grip on the boy’s neck and patted him on the chest. He claimed he was trying to put the boy to sleep.
He was arrested at about 6pm that day. The boy was taken to National University Hospital for medical checks.
In previous court proceedings, DPP Chew had sought a sentence of between 12 and 15 years’ jail for the man, noting this was an appalling and egregious case of child abuse, as the victim was less than a year old.
A medical report stated the victim was at risk of both traumatic brain injury and musculoskeletal trauma.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Amarick Gill had previously told the court the offender was extremely remorseful and deeply ashamed of his actions.
On May 20, before the court session ended, District Judge Koo called the victim’s parents to the front of the court room.
He told them: “No child should should have suffered what your son suffered, and no parent should have to go through what you’re going through now.
“What happened to him was appalling, but it does not diminish his inherent worth. That remains intact and always will.”
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
