Mother who caused young son’s death jailed 8 years

Noraidah Mohd Yussof was given an eight-year jail term on Friday at the High Court. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore)

The mother who caused the death of her four-year-old son was sentenced to eight years’ jail on Friday (29 July) at the High Court.

Noraidah Mohd Yussof, who hit, choked and stomped on Mohammad Airyl Amirul Haziq Mohamed Ariff in a rented flat in Eunos in 2014 had pleaded guilty to two counts of causing grievous hurt and two counts under the Children and Young Persons Act.

The 34-year-old former bridal model, who pleaded guilty in March this year, has another daughter.

Pressing for a 12 years’ sentence for Noraidah, the prosecution said that her son’s death was one of the saddest cases of child abuse while Noraidah’s counsel pleaded for a term of less than 10 years.

The defence had earlier tried to prove that Noraidah was suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism-like disorder that could affect a person’s ability to interact socially. It had presented a report by a psychiatrist that concluded Noraidah was suffering from the syndrome.

Justice Lee Seiu Kin, who was presiding over the case, rejected her counsel’s argument. Instead, he agreed with the prosecution - based on a report by another psychiatrist - that Noraidah has several personality problems, including being prone to frustration and acting impulsively.

Noraidah, who was wearing a prison jacket, was seen crying in the dock when the sentence was handed down to her.