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SINGAPORE – A 30-year-old man who pleaded guilty to abusing his elderly mother by starving her to death and hitting her in the groin was jailed for 56 weeks on Tuesday (March 23), when more details emerged about the physical and mental abuse he inflicted. . for three years.
Citing one of the multiple incidents, Assistant District Attorney Magdalene Huang said that Andy Koh Ju Hua made his 68-year-old mother stand by the sink for 12 hours straight while holding an ice pack to her face. He looked at her from his room and then threatened to hit her when she lowered her arm.
She only allowed her mother to drink plain water and berated her when she caught her father secretly washing her pillowcase. He also hit her head with a remote control, left a scar and threatened to hit her genitals with a hammer.
“The victim believed that he had attacked his private parts as the wounds could be hidden,” said DPP Huang.
Other steps he took to avoid detection included forbidding the victim to open the door or be seen by their neighbors. If they saw neighbors, he made his mother hide on the stairs or retreat to her apartment. In addition, he was only allowed to wear old and torn clothing to make his escape difficult, the prosecutor said.
The DPP sought 50 weeks in jail, an improved jail term from the 30 weeks it had previously requested during Koh’s initial hearing.
‘Public concern’ about the case
In response to the new information, Koh, who appeared via video link while on remand, denied that his home had a hammer. She also said that her mother did not want to attend sessions with social workers and avoided talking to them because she thought it was unnecessary.
Then he repeated that he had pleaded guilty and that “I don’t know why” he committed “all that nonsense” to him. He reiterated his need for treatment to “cure” his psychotic disorder and his desire to be reunited with his mother.
Koh, who was studying for a master’s degree at the National University of Singapore (NUS), also said that he planned to return to school to complete the remaining six months of his candidacy. His candidacy was terminated by NUS in January.
In handing down his sentence, District Judge Kessler Soh noted that when Koh pleaded guilty last week, he had initially asked for a Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO) adequacy report.
However, the maximum jail term for Koh’s fourth count does not allow an MTO as a sentencing option, as community-based sentencing is only available for offenses with a maximum jail term of three years.
The judge also took into account an assessment by a psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) that Koh was likely influenced by psychotic symptoms.
“This is a case that has caused a lot of public concern. We cannot understand how the accused could have dared to abuse his mother in such a cruel way, and the way in which he abused her was abhorrent, and for that he must receive a punishment of according to the law, “said DJ Soh, adding that Koh will also receive the necessary treatment to address his mental disorder, in order to minimize his risk of recidivism when he is released.
The court will convene a conference in the community court to consider protection measures for the victim.
Facts of the case
Koh previously pleaded guilty to four counts of willfully harming his mother. One of Koh’s charges is included in the enhanced provisions covering victims living in the same home as the offender, which went into effect on January 1 of last year.
He started abusing his mother in 2017 and beat her when he was feeling stressed from school work.
Throughout her abuse, the woman was hospitalized three times and placed in a safe house by a social services agency, but she insisted on returning to her family each time.
In January 2018, Koh kneed his mother in the groin. The victim called her relative for help and her niece found her in a neglected condition in another block in Punggol. The woman complained of pain in her lower abdomen and vaginal area, and also told her niece about her son’s abuse.
Although her niece wanted to call the police, the woman told her not to. They took her to the hospital but claimed her injuries were due to a fall. He had many bruises on his limbs and genitals and fluid accumulations along his abdominal and pelvic walls. She was treated and discharged on January 18, 2018.
About 11 months later, he hit her in the face with his hands, causing her pain. In the same month, she hooked a metal lock around her finger and struck her vaginal area multiple times.
The mother did not retaliate and allowed her to vent her frustration and anger. Later, the woman called her older brother, who found her nightgown with blood stains around her groin area. They took her to the hospital, which alerted the police to her plight.
However, the woman informed the police that her injuries were caused by a fall she suffered in the toilet. He suffered a facial bone fracture, nasal bone fracture, and injuries to the pubic region.
On June 6 last year, after Koh punched the woman in the mouth three times, she fled to her relatives for help. Later, the woman’s nephew called the police to report the family violence and pointed out that she looked depressed, fragile and very dirty.
A medical report showed that the mother had multiple bruises on her face and a swollen nasal bridge with abrasions all over her body. She disclosed her son’s actions to the police after this incident.
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