Man threatened to kill daughter, have mother-in-law's tongue sliced off
A 48-year-old man, who hit his daughter when she was 13 and threatened to kill her, also threatened his wife that he would pay people to cut off her mother’s tongue.
He had pleaded guilty to four charges on Feb 16, including voluntarily causing hurt to his wife, 43, and his daughter, who is now 15. The couple is undergoing divorce proceedings.
On Tuesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Siu Ming asked that the man be sentenced to between four months and 12 weeks’ and six months and 16 weeks’ jail.
She said that at the time of the offences, the man was subject to an expedited order that prohibited him from committing family violence against his wife. It was not mentioned in court documents why an expedited order was issued.
In August 2020, the man was quarantined here after travelling overseas. During that time, his daughter did not answer any of his calls.
In September, he returned home and asked her about it. After hearing her explanation, which was not mentioned in court documents, he became angry and hit her five times on the right side of her head.
He also threatened to punch and kill her if she were to repeat her behaviour.
The man cannot be named to protect his daughter’s identity.
That same month, the accused asked his wife to return the $10,000 he had given her to renovate her shop. She said she would return the money, but he tried to punch her.
His wife blocked the punch and tried to leave the bedroom they were in, but he pulled her by the collar of her dress, choked her and pushed her against the wall.
She managed to break free and ran out of the flat.
In June 2021, she and three daughters moved out of the flat they were living in and into a church.
Between July 4 and 30 that year, the man repeatedly harassed his wife, including visiting her workplace multiple times. He also attempted once to gain entry into the church.
On Sept 10, 2021, he called her and urged her to give him another chance and to return home. She refused and hung up.
He continued trying to reach her and called her a total of 141 times.
The next day, she called him using her daughter’s mobile phone and asked him to stop harassing her.
Angry, he threatened to pay people to cut off her mother’s tongue and hurt her mother using a pole.
DPP Teo said in her submissions: “The accused has sought to characterise his conduct as the acts of a desperate father trying to salvage what remains of his familial ties, but he fails to see that he is the author of his own misery.
“It is clear from the charges that any opportunity to be with and bond with his children is squandered by his own conduct.”
In mitigation, defence lawyer Noor Mohamed Marican said on Tuesday that this was a “family matter” and sought a $12,500 fine for his client.
“This is a very tragic case of a father who was not able to cope or manage with the family problems he had. He may have gone a bit overboard, but he cared for his family,” he said.
The accused is expected to return to court for sentencing on May 9.
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