A 38-year-old Singaporean father was sentenced to eight months in jail after forcing his four-year-old son to eat the tip of a chili after he had soiled himself. The child died after an acute airway blockage caused by a foreign item. The father tried to save the child by transporting him to a local clinic, but the boy choked to death due to the chili's obstructing his airway. Due to a gag order protecting the victim's and his younger brothers' identities, the father entered a guilty plea to the murder of his son and was sentenced to one count of reckless behavior resulting in death.
The father discovered the child had a strong odor of excrement on August 2, 2022, and was going through toilet training. He chastised the child by pressing the chili tip into his mouth, even though the boy denied soiling himself. The child then passed out, and the father was taken to a local clinic, where the doctor found the child unconscious and had no pulse. The father was declared dead by ambulance.
The court heard that the father had "absolute remorse and guilt" and had been diagnosed with severe depressive illness. The court also noted evidence of suicide thoughts in the father.
The father discovered the child had a strong odor of excrement on August 2, 2022, and was going through toilet training. He chastised the child by pressing the chili tip into his mouth, even though the boy denied soiling himself. The child then passed out, and the father was taken to a local clinic, where the doctor found the child unconscious and had no pulse. The father was declared dead by ambulance.
The court heard that the father had "absolute remorse and guilt" and had been diagnosed with severe depressive illness. The court also noted evidence of suicide thoughts in the father.
