1-5-2024 (SINGAPORE) A Singaporean father has been sentenced to 34-and-a-half years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane for the death of his five-year-old daughter and the prolonged abuse of her and her younger brother.
The court heard how the 44-year-old man, whose name has been withheld due to legal restrictions safeguarding the surviving sibling’s identity, subjected his children to unimaginable cruelty, treating them as “punching bags” for his frustrations. Trained in various martial arts disciplines including silat, taekwondo, and aikido, the man inflicted relentless physical and emotional torment on his young offspring.
The tragic events culminated in August 2017 when his daughter, Ayeesha, succumbed to a fatal head injury after enduring a barrage of blows from her father. Shockingly, the abuse had persisted for almost two years, with the children enduring confinement, starvation, and relentless beatings.
Justice Aedit Abdullah, presiding over the case, delivered a sentence reflective of the community’s abhorrence and disgust towards such heinous acts. Describing the abuse as “inhumane” and “disgusting”, Justice Abdullah emphasized the need for severe deterrence against similar atrocities.
The court heard how the children, both biological offspring from the man’s first marriage, suffered unspeakable horrors under his care. Forced to subsist on meagre rations, they resorted to eating their own faeces out of desperation. This deplorable situation unfolded after the children were returned to their father’s care in 2015, following a period in foster care.
The abuse escalated from physical beatings to prolonged confinement in cramped spaces, including a small corner of their father’s bedroom and ultimately, a squalid toilet. CCTV footage presented in court revealed the extent of the brutality, with the children enduring merciless beatings while clad only in diapers.
Despite signs of distress and malnutrition, the man callously continued his reign of terror, even entertaining thoughts of putting the children up for adoption to alleviate his financial burdens. Efforts by social services to intervene were met with deceit and evasion, allowing the abuse to persist unchecked.
Tragically, Ayeesha’s death marked the culmination of this horrifying saga. Found unresponsive in the family’s toilet, she was pronounced dead at a local hospital, her body bearing extensive injuries indicative of prolonged abuse.
In a bid to conceal his crimes, the man embarked on a calculated cover-up, disposing of evidence and concocting elaborate lies to mislead authorities. However, his deceit was eventually exposed, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction.
