Jail for man who chained and hit 11-year-old son, causing perforated eardrum and other injuries

SINGAPORE — A divorced man, who forbade his 11-year-old son to contact his former wife, flew into a rage when the boy disobeyed his orders and slapped the child's face, causing a perforated left eardrum.

After that, the man repeatedly struck his son with a rubber water hose, causing multiple bruises.

On other occasions, he also punished his son by coiling a chain around either the boy's ankle or wrist before using a padlock to secure it to a fixed metal bar in the bathroom.

The court heard that the boy, now 13, could be chained for between two and five hours after his father caught him lying, failing to do his homework or contacting the man's former wife.

On June 14, the 53-year-old private-hire driver, who cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to two years' jail after he pleaded guilty to three counts of ill-treating the child.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Jocelyn Teo told the court that the man had custody of the victim following his divorce, and the father-and-son pair lived in a flat near Kallang Road.

The man had told his son to cut off contact with the latter's mother — the man's former wife.

The chaining happened on at least three occasions in 2022.

The DPP said: "The accused coiled the metal chain two rounds around either the victim's ankle or wrist, with a rubber hose between the metal chain and the victim's skin to protect the victim so that it would not be painful even if the victim struggled, and used a padlock to secure the chain to the fixed metal bar."

The man would also leave around one litre of water and some food on a shelf inside the bathroom.

He would then either go to his bedroom to sleep or leave the flat, leaving the boy alone.

On Nov 30, 2022, he found out that the boy had been texting his mother via WhatsApp.

Furious, he slapped the left side of the child's face and perforated an eardrum.

He then used a rubber hose to strike the child's left upper arm, back and left thigh.

Court documents did not disclose what happened next, but the child's mother later found out about the injuries and took her son to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

A representative form the National Anti-Violence Helpline then alerted the police on Dec 4, 2022.

Urging the court to sentence the offender to between 28 and 31 months' jail, DPP Teo said that the man had chained his son for prolonged periods of time.

She added: "This left the child in a very dangerous situation... If there had been an emergency, such as a fire, the child would not have been able to escape."

The prosecutor also stressed that the man had abused his position of trust and had caused unnecessary suffering to the victim.

The man's bail was set at $15,000 on June 14. He is expected to begin serving his sentence on July 25.

ALSO READ: 'It is mentally overwhelming': Police officer who investigates child sexual abuse crimes says saving even one kid is worth it

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.