SUSPECTING one of her children to have stolen her money, a single mother of four in Singapore admitted splashing them with hot water.
Channel News Asia reported the 33-year-old woman’s admission in court on Monday (June 24) to the offence which took place in July 2022 toward her children who were aged eight, nine, 10 and 11-years-old at the time.
On the morning of the incident, the mother of four asked her oldest daughter, 11, to take out SGD20 (RM69) from her purse to buy breakfast, only to find that there was only SGD5 (RM17). She also recalled having SGD60 (RM208) the previous night.
Suspecting her children of taking the cash, she instructed them to look for the money, keeping a close eye and also threatened to splash hot water on them if the money was not found.
While the children were looking the money, she filled a tumbler with some hot water she boiled and splashed the hot liquid on them, demanding for the missing cash but the children continued denying the accusation.
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Despite their cries pleading their mother to stop, she continued splashing the children with boiling hot water until after she was done, she noticed burn marks on her nine-year-old son’s body first and then found similar injuries on her other three children.
She cried, after the realisation hit her, and applied medicated oil on the burns before contacting her sister to come over. The Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel called an ambulance shortly after that.
Court documents depicted the injuries on the 10-year-old daughter who sustained burns of “superficial partial thickness,” as quoted, on more than 10% of her body which include her abdominal area, thighs and left arm.
The prosecution ordered a bail of SGD15,000 (RM52,169) for the accused and was told not to contact her children following the incident. The children were sent to a shelter since then.
During the trial on Monday, the woman pled guilty to one count of ill-treatment of a child in her care together with three other charges in connection to her other children, which would be mulled over in her sentencing.
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The defence requested for a “probation suitability report” to which the prosecution did not object against and Deputy Public Prosecutor Tin Shu Min pointed out that the single mother had taken efforts to change her situation.
However, the district judge said he was “not bound to” follow the recommendations in sentencing after calling for an assessment of her suitability for probation, adding that even with the green light given by the defence and prosecution’s side, he may disagree with the sentencing.
With the current charges keeping the woman and her children, who wish to be reunited with their mother, apart, her lawyer confirmed that relevant social agencies are working to get the family back together.
He added that if she was sentenced to probation, Singapore’s Child Protective Services indicated to moving towards “reintegration” as it would be in the childrens’ best interests.
It was found that this was the first time the single mother had done this to her children and has since been remorseful, feeling “intense guilt” and diagnosed with major depressive disorder, as quoted.
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It was said in the court that she had raised the children by herself after leaving her abusive ex-husband and overcoming her poor family background as well as a depressive disorder, coupled with the fact that she was a waitress with a primary level education.
