Man who grabbed stepson by neck and slammed him down jailed 4 months
SINGAPORE — Irritated by his eight-year-old stepson for supposedly staring at him, a man lifted the boy by the neck and slammed him down.
The 28-year-old man was sentenced to four months’ jail on Tuesday (10 September) after pleading guilty to one count of ill-treating his stepson on 3 December last year.
The man, who is married to the boy’s mother, and the boy cannot be named due to a court gag order.
On 3 December, the man was at home with the boy, his nine-year-old half sister, and the boy’s mother.
While the man was making a drink for himself, the boy looked at the kitchen area. The man thought that the boy was staring at him and asked what he was looking at.
The man then grabbed the boy by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The boy’s mother saw the incident and shouted at the man. The man then slammed the boy down onto a pile of clothes, causing the boy to cry.
When the boy’s mother questioned the man about his behaviour, he replied that the boy was behaving like a gangster and staring at him.
The boy was brought to the hospital but did not have injuries.
An aunt of the boy called the police to inform them about the incident and that the man was refusing to let his wife out of the house.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Regina Lim sought at least four months’ jail for the man, describing his action as dangerous. “The neck is a vulnerable area and he slammed the victim down from height,” said the DPP, adding that it was “fortuitous” that the boy wasn’t injured.
Representing himself in court, the man told the court that he had nothing to say.
For ill-treating a child, the man could have been jailed up to four years and fined up to $4,000, or both.
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