Therapist admits threatening mum

SINGAPORE - The daughter of the woman who sued the Novena Church unsuccessfully for what she said was a botched exorcism seven years ago was given a three-month day reporting order with tagging yesterday.

Subashini Jeyabal, 28, who had admitted to threatening to kill her mother, Madam Amutha Valli Krishnan, 57, was also ordered to perform community service for 150 hours.

Under the day reporting order, she has to remain indoors from 11.30pm to 7.30am.

A Community Court had heard that Subashini, an education therapist, was living with her mother in Ang Mo Kio on June 29 last year when they had a dispute.

During the dispute, Subashini took a knife from the kitchen and placed it on the victim's neck and said in Tamil: "I will kill you. I will cut you.''

A family friend intervened and managed to take the knife away from her. The victim was not injured.

Her lawyer, Mr Louis Joseph, told the court that a psychiatrist had said the science graduate had always shared a "tenuous relationship" with her mother since she was nine years old.

Subashini has moved out of the house permanently and intends to move on, the court heard.

The psychiatrist had further stated that Madam Amutha was always provocative and had made wild, unfounded allegations about Subashini's character at the time, when she was drunk.

Two other charges of kicking her mother and slapping her father thrice were considered during her sentencing.

This article by The Straits Times was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

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