Man Admits To Starving 68-Year-Old Mother, Hitting Her Groin With Metal Padlock

A 30-year-old man has pleaded guilty to assaulting his mother over years, including starving her and using a metal padlock to hit her in the groin.

Andy Koh Ju Hua, who was pursuing a master's degree when he committed the crimes, also stopped his mother from taking a shower or making noise whenever he was stressed with his studies, reported The Straits Times.

Koh also admitted to punching his 68-year-old mother in the face and committing other acts of violence when he appeared before a Singapore court Tuesday.

Koh, who lived with his parents then, began abusing his mother in 2017. His mother refused to file a police complaint as she did not want to jeopardize her son's future.

In January 2018, Koh kneed his mother on her vaginal area, following which the woman called her relative for help. Her niece found her unwell and experiencing pain in her lower abdomen. Although the niece insisted on calling the police, the woman refused. Not wanting to implicate her son, she also told the hospital authorities that she had fallen, the court heard.

In December 2018, Koh used a metal padlock to hit his mother on her genital area multiple times because he was "angry over certain issues." She called her brother for help, who found her with a swollen face and bloodstains on her gown. She was taken to Sengkang General Hospital, where doctors said she suffered facial injuries, including a nasal bone fracture, a cut in the lower lip and bruising in her pubic region.

She was also anemic but the woman attributed it to a vitamin B deficiency and post-menopausal vaginal bleeding. Although the police were called, she maintained that she had fallen in the toilet.

In June last year, Koh punched his mother again. The woman, who began bleeding from the mouth, ran out of her house to her relatives. Her nephew found her sunken, thin, frail and dirty and decided to call the police. This time, the mother told the police that her son had assaulted her.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Magdalene Huang told the court that Koh should be jailed for at least 30 weeks as the victim was not only elderly and vulnerable but was also Koh's mother.

"Although the accused has ultimately chosen to plead guilty, he had denied his offenses to the police. Throughout investigations, he denied the offenses," Huang said.

She added that a report by the Institute of Mental Health said he "displays a complete lack of remorse."

Koh, who had no lawyer, asked for mandatory treatment order. "I love my mother a lot and I do not know why I committed all those silly things to her. I need to undergo treatment to overcome my psychotic disorder," he said.

"I hope to undergo treatment and cure myself so that I can live happily ever after with my mother. She is not young anymore and I certainly wish to take care of her in her remaining days," Koh told the court.