Man admits punching pregnant girlfriend's stomach and 3-year-old daughter's face

In a fit of anger, an odd-job labourer hit his pregnant girlfriend's stomach thrice and punched his three-year-old daughter's face following a dispute with the woman's teenage daughter.

The woman was then six months pregnant with his child.

The 37-year-old man pleaded guilty in court on Monday (Feb 25) to two counts of assault as well as one count each of wrongful confinement and ill-treating a child .

He cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identities of his victims.

The court heard that the man had punched his 32-year-old girlfriend's face on June 12, 2017.

Court documents did not reveal the reasons behind this incident.

The woman's 16-year-old daughter visited her the next day and confronted the man when she saw that her mother was injured.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling said the teenager then told her mother to abort the baby as the man was "unable to take care of her" and was "a violent man".

Enraged, he marched up to his pregnant girlfriend and punched her stomach three times.

After that, he scratched the teenager's wrist and pulled her hair.

The girl then asked him if he would like it if someone hit his biological child.

On hearing this, he went up to his daughter, whose mother is his 25-year-old former girlfriend.

He punched the toddler in the face and pulled her hair as she lay in bed, making her cry.

The DPP told District Judge May Mesenas that none of the three victims sought medical treatment after the incident.

Separately, the man had a dispute with his girlfriend at his home on March 12, 2018, as he suspected her of cheating on him with her former boyfriend.

He told her that he was calling off the relationship, before locking the front gate to stop her from leaving.

He also damaged the woman's mobile phone to prevent her from calling the police.

After that, he used both his hands to choke her and said: "If I can't get you, then no one else can."

The man continued attacking her after she managed to free herself.

DPP Chee said he punched her face a few times, pulled her hair and kicked her chest.

She lodged a police report four days later.

A report from the Institute of Mental Health last April revealed that he had anger management issues and conditions, including depression with psychosis.

However, the court heard that his major depression had no causal link to his offences.

The man was offered bail of $5,000 and will be sentenced on March 25.

For each count of assault, he can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

For ill-treating the child, he can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $4,000.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.