9 months’ jail, fine for father who bit, choked, tied young son and said he hated him

SINGAPORE - A delivery driver who bit his son and later choked him and tied him up with a bicycle cord was jailed and fined on Tuesday (Aug 10). The 36-year-old, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was jailed for nine months and fined $4,500. He pleaded guilty to two charges of ill treatment of a child and one charge each of voluntarily causing hurt and harassment. Another five charges, including one for a road rage incident, were taken into consideration for sentencing. In November 2018, the man's wife brought their two sons, aged five and one, to the polyclinic. The older boy bit his younger brother on the right thigh while they were playing. When the man found out about it that evening, he caned and bit his older son on the thigh, wanting him to feel how painful it was to be bitten. The police were called when the boy was brought for a planned visit to the hospital the next month, and a nurse saw the man handling his son roughly by grabbing him, forcing him to lie down and holding down his legs. The doctor also found injuries on the boy. In March 2019, the man was driving his van to collect parcels when the same boy vomited in the van. The man became angry, and later grabbed...

ITE student expelled after bullying video spreads online

SINGAPORE - An ITE student caught on video bullying a fellow student will be expelled. ITE said in an update on Wednesday morning (March 17) that it has concluded its investigation into the incident and will dismiss the main aggressor, "as is the norm for assault cases in the college". "The other students involved in the incident will be counselled and required to perform community service," the Facebook post added. In a video that spread on social media, the main aggressor is seen restraining a student while repeatedly asking him "what's wrong with you" in a men's toilet at ITE College Central. At least three others look on, including a youth who appears to be blocking the exit. The main aggressor then rips off the victim's mask, slaps him and hurls vulgarities at him. Laughter can be heard in the background as the victim apologises to the main aggressor. Another person tells the group "okay, enough". The main aggressor then hits the victim on the back of his head and kicks his calf. It is unclear when the video was taken. ITE College principal Suresh Natarajan had said earlier that the school takes a serious view of bullying and a firm stance against such behaviour. "As an educat...

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Teens in animal cruelty probe over use of frogs in foosball

SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - A group of teens are being investigated after they allegedly played foosball using live frogs. A video of the incident, which surfaced online over the weekend, shows the unidentified teens unboxing about a dozen live frogs in a Burberry shoe box, with the words "Merry Christmas" splashed across the clip. It then cuts to a scene of the teens playing at a foosball table, hitting the ball around with a frog on the table trying to avoid being hit. The words "Thanks for the 100 frogs" are splashed across a second clip. Another scene shows the teens placing the ball carefully on the table, before punting it straight at one amphibian, which is smacked onto the side of the foosball table before hopping away. A third clip claimed to feature the group's "last frog". Though no faces can be seen, the footage indicates three youths, one of whom was filming, and a teenage girl were involved in the incident. Ms Jessica Kwok, group director for community animal management at the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), said it was concerned about the incident and is investigating. "AVS takes all feedback received from the public seriously and will look into the cases report...