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Jean Iau
The times of the strait
March 16, 2021
A 30-year-old man admitted to assaulting his 68-year-old mother at her home for a few years, even using a metal padlock to hit her in the groin.
Andy Koh Ju Hua, who was a master’s student at the time of the crimes, starved to death and attacked his mother when he was stressed out with school work.
He appeared in district court on Tuesday (March 16) via video link and pleaded guilty to four counts of willfully injuring his mother by striking her in the face and using his kneecap to strike her genitals, among other acts. of physical violence.
The court also heard that he was not allowed to shower or make noise at home.
The woman escaped on several occasions to seek refuge with other family members, was hospitalized and even placed in a safe house, but insisted on returning to her family each time.
He initially refused to make a police report because he did not want to jeopardize his son’s future.
Koh’s case was postponed until March 23.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) said Koh was no longer in college.
His spokesman said he was a graduate student and had been on leave of absence since August 2019. But he did not return to his studies after his license expired and his candidacy was rescinded in January this year.
The court heard that the abuse began sometime in 2017 and Koh, who claimed to suffer from a psychotic disorder, also kneed his mother in the groin in January 2018.
Later, the woman called a relative for help. Her niece found her under another block in a neglected state and complaining of pain in her lower abdomen. Her niece wanted to call the police but the older woman refused.
When he went to the hospital, he said that he had fallen so as not to implicate his son.
In December 2018, he hooked a metal lock around his finger and swung it several times towards his mother’s genital area because he was “angry about certain issues.”
She called her brother for help, and he found her with a swollen face and bloodstains on the gown in the groin area.
She was taken to Sengkang General Hospital and found to have facial injuries, including a fractured nasal bone and bruising to the pubic region.
She was also found to have anemia that was attributed to a vitamin B deficiency, postmenopausal vaginal bleeding, and multiple bruises.
They called the police, but she told them that she had fallen into the toilet.
In June of last year, her nephew called the police to report the case of family violence after she ran away to a relative’s home. They described his condition as fragile and dirty.
She finally told doctors that her son had hit her and said she had pain in her lips and chin.
Police investigations found that Koh had punched his mother in the mouth three times.
Deputy Prosecutor Magdalene Huang urged the court to sentence Koh to at least 30 weeks in prison, noting that the victim is not only elderly and vulnerable, but resides in the same home as Koh.
As his most recent charge occurred after January 1, 2020, Koh is liable under the new improved provisions for victims in close relationships with the defendant.
DPP Huang added that on the charge related to the metal lock, he had used a weapon and “struck her several times (on) vulnerable parts of her body, including her private parts.”
He called his manners “especially vicious and cruel,” noting how Koh had previously denied the crimes to police, and a report from the Institute of Mental Health found that Koh “displayed a complete lack of remorse.”
Addressing the court, Koh said, “I love my mother very much, I don’t know why I did such nonsense to her.”
Saying she needed to undergo treatment for her psychotic disorder, she said she hoped to heal and reunite to “live happily ever after with my mother.”
“She is no longer young and I certainly want to take care of her in the days that remain,” he said.
