Singaporean man gets life after appealing for lighter jail term for killing 5-year-old daughter

The 45-year-old father was originally jailed for 35 years for abusing his two children, leading to the death of his daughter Ayeesha in 2017. He filed a plea to reduce the sentence to between 25.5 and 30 years, but on July 11, the Court of Appeal rejected his request, instead imposing life imprisonment.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said detailed grounds for the court’s decision would be issued later. The judges deemed the crime among the worst of its kind, The Straits Times reported.

Court documents revealed that the man, who had martial arts training, began abusing his children in 2015, shortly after marrying his second wife. From February to October 2016, the couple confined the siblings in a "naughty corner" barricaded with a bookshelf and wardrobe. Later, they were locked naked in a toilet for nearly 10 months, Channel News Asia reported.

On the night of Aug. 10, 2017, after his wife complained about Ayeesha’s behavior, he slapped her face up to 20 times before launching a violent attack, punching, kicking and stamping on her body. The next morning, realizing Ayeesha was unresponsive, he threw away the CCTV camera and other evidence in nearby rubbish bins before taking her body and his son in a pram to Singapore General Hospital. He told police she had fallen at a playground but later confessed when confronted with surveillance footage, according to reports.

Initially charged with murder, he pleaded guilty in April 2024 to a reduced charge of culpable homicide, four counts of child abuse, and one count of disposing of evidence. Another 20 charges were taken into consideration. He was sentenced to 34.5 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane. In July 2024, after being deemed medically unfit for caning due to a degenerative disc disease, his jail term was extended by six months in lieu.

The man’s identity is protected to shield his surviving son.

His wife, 34, faces ongoing court proceedings for multiple counts of child abuse against her two stepchildren.