SINGAPORE - An unemployed man assaulted his mother, used household items to hit her repeatedly and splashed hot water on her - all in one day.
Rajesh Pannu, 31, who suffers from chronic schizophrenia, was sentenced to three years' jail on Friday (Oct 16) on three charges.
Rajesh, who faced five charges, had admitted grievously hurting his mother, Madam Narindar Kaur Darshan, 62, by splashing hot water on her; slapping and punching her; hitting her with a broomstick and a plastic mug; and threatening to kill her on Nov 19 last year.
The court heard that he was at home with her at their Tampines flat that morning when he accused her of making noise when she used her walking frame. He grabbed the frame and threw it away.
When she told him she was going to call his uncle for help, Rajesh slapped and punched her on the face and body several times. He also took her mobile phone and threw it on the floor. He also unplugged the telephone in the house and took it away from the living room, making it impossible for her to seek help.
Next, he hit her with a broomstick several times on her head, leg and body until the broom broke. Bleeding from the nose and in great pain, she made her way to the bedroom to rest.
Rajesh became angrier. He grabbed a plastic mug on a table and used it to hit her on the forehead multiple times. She screamed for help.
After a while, he stopped and left the room. He came back with a knife and threatened to kill her, slashing her right forearm twice.
Later, while he was boiling water in a pot to cook instant noodles, Rajesh, still seething in anger, took the pot of hot water and poured it on his mother.
The victim was in great pain but Rajesh said: "No! I want to kill you!" He left and returned with a second pot of hot water to pour on her.
The victim then made her way to the toilet. She held on to the toilet basin which dropped as it was loose, causing the victim to collapse onto the floor. She did not scream or help because she was feeling too weak.
Rajesh later found her lying on the floor and called for an ambulance.
Community Court Judge Mathew Joseph, who backdated his sentence to Nov 20 last year, said this was an unfortunate case involving serious violence inflicted on the victim.
He noted Rajesh's psychiatric diagnosis and told him he should consider himself fortunate that the prosecution did not ask for caning.
Rajesh could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined or caned for the most serious charge of causing grievous hurt.