Man accused of choking baby, hanging him in cupboard switches lawyers
The 32-year-old Singaporean man faces more than 30 charges of child abuse for alleged acts such as stepping on the baby's face, choking him, punching him and placing him on a hanger in a cupboard.
A view of the State Courts of Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
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SINGAPORE: A man who is facing multiple charges of child abuse for repeatedly choking a baby and placing him on a hanger in a cupboard has switched lawyers.
The 32-year-old Singaporean man cannot be named due to a gag order on his and the victim's identities. Their relationship was not specified, but the case is classified as one of domestic violence.
The accused was previously represented by Mr Gino Hardial Singh, but he was discharged as counsel at a further mention on Oct 15.
In a pre-trial conference on Monday (Oct 27), the man was newly represented by veteran lawyer Mr Amarick Singh Gill and Mr S Ramanujen.
A pre-trial conference is a hearing before a judge away from the public and media, where both sides discuss administrative matters.
This can cover any issue that needs to be ironed out before going to open court, and does not always mean a trial is going to take place despite the name.
The judge adjourned the case for the defence counsel to take instructions from the accused and send representations before the next pre-trial conference.
Sending representations refers to the defence submitting a letter to the Attorney-General's Chambers setting out reasons for various legal outcomes, such as a lowered charge or the dropping of a charge, possibly with an explanation of their case.
The man was charged in September mostly for abusing a baby he was caring for at a flat in July and August last year, when the boy was between nine and 11 months old.
The more than 30 charges he was handed detailed acts like stepping on the baby's face, pushing the boy's head into a pail of water, choking the boy repeatedly, suffocating him with a pillow, hanging the baby in a cupboard by the back of his singlet with the door closed and punching his face.
The most recent offence is said to have occurred on Sep 16, 2024, at a void deck instead of the usual location, with the accused allegedly twisting the boy's arms, punching his face, shaking his head forcefully and dragging him along a table by his neck.
The next pre-trial conference is set for Nov 24.
For each charge of ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act, the man could be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000 (US$6,170), or both.
