It’s never a good idea to allow your anger to influence your decisions because they could very well bring you a lifetime of regret. This young father will probably live to regret the day that his anger caused him to hit his baby’s head, which resulted in the baby suffering from multiple skull fractures.
Source: 123RF
According to Straits Times, a 30-year-old Singaporean father of three pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt to his then six-month-old son that caused his child to suffer from permanent disabilities which are so bad that he has to be fed through a tube. The incident happened on Aug 26, 2016 in the wee hours of the morning when the father was fast asleep in their Bedok North flat.
The 26-year-old mother was soothing him on her lap when the father was roused by the baby’s cries which made him angry. Fed up with his son’s cries, he went over to his wife and hit the baby hard on the head with his right hand while his wife held the baby tightly so that he would not fall over. Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua told District Judge Tham, “The accused shouted ‘Shut up la, shut up la. Later I have work, you make noise, I cannot sleep’, and hit the victim once on the head with his right hand.”
Source: Daily Mail
After that, the baby started to cry even harder before vomiting on the floor and then finally, he fell asleep in his father’s arms, who had finally calmed down. When the baby woke up at around 8am, he looked normal but five hours later, when she checked on him again, he was semi-conscious and weak.
The baby was taken to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital where it was revealed through a CT scan that his head had multiple skull fractures. The doctors also said that he had excess fluid in his brain and he was immediately rushed to neurosurgery.
He was discharged after seven months on March 2, 2017, but the damage had already been done. Based on the medical reports from 2018 that was submitted to the court, the child who is already two years and eight months old has a developmental age of four months old.
Source: Very Well Family
He is suffering from dystonic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, a dislocated left hip and obstructive sleep apnea and a swallowing dysfunction. He cannot talk, but can only coo in reply. The boy is now living with foster parents as well as his older brother who is also under foster care. His elder sister is still living with their biological parents.
The judge sentenced the accused to six years’ jail and six strokes of the cane and said that he had deprived his son of living a normal, independent life. In his defense, the accused’s lawyer said that he was not a typical child abuser and it was an impulsive move. The accused had been working two jobs to provide for his family and did not realise his actions would have such disastrous consequences.
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