The father of a man jailed for assaulting his mother over a span of three years has said he was unaware of the abuse that occurred.
Responding to queries from Lianhe Wanbao last Tuesday (March 23) evening, the 69-year-old man said he had not noticed anything amiss over the years.
His son, 30-year-old Andy Koh Ju Hua, was sentenced last week to 56 weeks’ jail. He had pleaded guilty to four counts of voluntarily causing hurt to his 68-year-old mother.
Image source: Lianhe Wanbao
His acts of cruelty included punching the housewife in the face, hitting her head with a remote and kneeing her in the groin. On another occasion in 2018, he swung a metal padlock at her mother’s genital area several times.
An only child, Koh stayed with his family in a 4-room HDB flat in Punggol. His father told reporters that he worked as a dishwasher, and would leave the house at 10am, returning in the evening at 6pm.
He professed that interactions between himself and his son were normal and said Koh had never raised his voice at them. In retrospect, he added the abuse could have taken place when he was not at home.
The elderly man stated that his wife had moved out of the home last June after a personal protection order was filed, but claimed he was not aware of the details.
“I only knew the reason she moved out had to do with the personal protection order, and we lost contact after she moved out,” said the elderly man.
He added that he was shocked to learn that his son had been charged and sentenced to jail.
“Relatives asked me to read the papers, saying ‘your son is in the news’.
“I only found out what happened after reading the report.”
Sharing that the details were “upsetting”, the elderly man added: “If I had known, I would have stopped it.”
Image source: iStock
Last week, the court heard that Koh’s abuse of his mother began in 2017. The abuse was not just physical, but emotional and mental as well.
Koh controlled his mother’s movements and restricted her food intake. He also banned her from drinking any other liquids besides plain water. She was not allowed to shower and could only wear old and torn clothes.
On one occasion, Koh ordered her to stand next to a sink and put an ice-pack to her face for 12 hours after punching her.
And in December 2018, after being hit with a metal padlock at the hands of Koh, the woman called her brother for help. She was taken to hospital, where doctors found her with a nasal bone fracture and bruising in the pubic region.
Although the police were called in, the woman claimed that she had fallen in the toilet.
When the woman once again sought help at a relative’s house in June last year, they found her in a frail and dirty state. After a police report was made, she finally told doctors that her son had punched her.
Where You Can Seek Help
Image source: iStock
If you know an elder who has been subjected to physical abuse, do not hesitate to seek help. Report the incident to the police or call 999 in case of immediate threat. You can also contact your nearest Family Service Centre or call the following helplines below:
- NAVH: 1800 777 0000
- AWARE: 1800 777 5555
- Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221 4444
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
- Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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