Woman jailed 5 years for killing autistic son
The 43-year-old woman sat quietly in the High Court dock and stared blankly as details about her role in causing the death of her seven-year-old autistic son were read out.
The accused listened intently and was seen nodding as Deputy Public Prosecutor Krystle Chiang read the statement of facts before Justice Tay Yong Kwang on Friday (18 March).
She started sobbing when DPP Chiang described the chain of events on 13 September 2014 that led to her son’s fatal fall from her family’s ninth storey flat in Tampines.
The woman, who cannot be named due to a gag order, had already pleaded guilty to one charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Argument with her husband
Court documents revealed that the woman, who had two sons, was arguing with her husband around 11am on the day. She had asked her husband to bring in a laundry pole in as it was raining.
Her husband brought in the pole and in a fit of anger, threw it on the kitchen floor before leaving the house to bring their elder son to attend a tuition class.
The woman took a stool and placed it near the kitchen window. She then climbed on the stool to peer down and check if any laundry pegs had fallen from the pole.
Her autistic son was watching television while she was in the kitchen, and she then took a shower.
Pushed son from her flat
After the shower, the accused checked on her son who had fallen asleep. She noticed that he had defecated in his pants and she went on to change his pants.
Later, she rested in a room only to be awoken by a sound coming from the kitchen. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her son standing near the stool by the kitchen window.
The woman, who was going through treatment for depression since 2008, then looked at her son and began to think that he was the cause of her problems.
She then coaxed the boy to climb on the stool and look out of the window, claiming that the boy’s grandmother was outside.
Once the boy stood on the stool, the woman then pushed him off the window ledge. The boy fell and was later pronounced dead by paramedics at 1.09 pm.
The woman was arrested on the same day and has been in remand since.
Hope for a family reunion
Pleading for leniency, the woman’s counsel, Anand Nalachandran, said that his client accepted the fact that she had committed a serious offence and was remorseful.
He added that she was feeling the strain of being the caregiver to her autistic son and that the incident happened a day before her birthday and five days before her wedding anniversary.
“Her husband and (elder) son have also written in to this court to appeal on her behalf and they want to be reunited,” said Anand.
Justice Tay sentenced the woman to five years’ imprisonment, which was backdated to the first day of her remand.
He said: “I hope you will recover well and will return to your family as a stronger person.”
