Singapore Man Jailed for Abusing Baby Nephew

A 32-year-old man in Singapore was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison after subjecting his infant nephew to months of abuse while secretly recording the attacks on his phone and later replaying the videos whenever he felt angry with the child’s father.

The man, whose identity has not been revealed, pleaded guilty in April to eight counts of ill-treatment of a child. On May 20, District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan ordered him to pay S$4,000 in compensation to the victim’s parents along with the prison time.

According to court proceedings reported by Singapore media, the abuse occurred over three months in 2024 while the baby was between nine and 11 months old.

The man allegedly dunked the infant in water, choked him, hung him inside a cupboard by his singlet, pressed a pillow over his face, and recorded it all on his phone. He would watch the videos later to manage his anger toward his brother-in-law, the child’s father. District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan called the incident “exceptionally cruel and sadistic.”

The judge said what made the case particularly horrifying was that the man intentionally recorded the assaults while the baby cried in pain.

Doctors involved in the case also concluded that the abuse likely contributed to the infant’s developmental delays.

Abuse Fueled by Hatred Toward Child’s Father

The court heard that the offender harbored intense anger toward his wife’s younger brother, the baby’s father, and took out that resentment on the child.

At the time, the man lived with his wife and the baby’s grandmother in a five-room apartment. The grandmother frequently invited the infant to stay at the home because she missed him. The baby was cared for by the grandmother, a domestic helper, and the offender.

Prosecutors said the abuse happened whenever the man was left alone with the child.

Videos Captured Repeated Assaults

Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew told the court that the abuse included hitting, slapping, pinching, twisting the infant’s arm, violently shaking his head, and strangling or suffocating him.

One of the most disturbing incidents occurred on July 18, 2024, when the man offered to bathe the child. According to court findings, he carried the baby into a bathroom, placed him inside a pail of water, and pushed the infant’s head underwater for approximately six seconds while the child cried.

Later that same day, he allegedly struck the baby multiple times with a bolster and pressed a pillow against the infant’s face for about 10 seconds, causing him to cry in distress.

Charges, Sentencing, and What the Court Said

The man was charged in September 2024 with more than 30 counts under Singapore’s Children and Young Persons Act. He changed legal representation in October 2024, with lawyers Amarick Singh Gill and S Ramanujen appearing at a pre-trial conference on October 28, 2024.

In April 2026, he pleaded guilty to eight representative charges. On May 20, 2026, District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan sentenced him to 14 years’ jail, among the most severe sentences handed down in a Singapore child abuse case, and ordered S$4,000 in compensation to the parents.

The judge’s language was unequivocal, describing the offending as “exceptionally cruel and sadistic.” Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew led the prosecution.

The case has sparked widespread outrage in Singapore because of the prolonged nature of the abuse and the fact that the offender documented the acts himself.