Drug abuser jailed 5 years for holding girlfriend’s son hostage
A drug abuser who held his girlfriend's two-year-old son hostage, causing a 17-hour stand-off with police, was yesterday sentenced to five years' jail and six strokes of the cane.
Muhammad Iskandah Suhaimi, 40, was convicted of this offence and others last November.
At about 4pm on Sept 27, 2016, Iskandah locked himself and the boy in a flat when he asked his girlfriend to buy cigarettes for him. He ignored pleas from his girlfriend and her mother to let the boy go.
At around noon the next day, officers from the Special Operations Command forced their way into the flat by breaking a window and removing the front gate.
They arrested Iskandah and rescued the boy. Neither Iskandah's 33-year-old girlfriend nor her son can be named due to a gag order.
Iskandah had been living in a Sembawang rental flat for about a year with the boy and his mother.
On Nov 29 last year, Iskandah was convicted of one count each of kidnapping, being in possession of a knuckleduster, as well as methamphetamine, or Ice, consumption and possession.
Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh said Iskandah has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and methamphetamine use disorder.
However, she told the court that Iskandah's psychiatric condition should be given little to no mitigating weight.
Iskandah, who was not represented by a lawyer, pleaded for a lenient sentence and told the court that he did not hurt the child.
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