http://www.straitstimes.com/singapo...eat-up-his-estranged-wife-even-at-the-risk-of
Jail for man who threatened to beat up his estranged wife even at risk of prison
Published
4 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent
SINGAPORE - A 48-year-old man threatened his son by saying that he would beat up his son's mother even if it meant that he had to go to prison.
Ramachandran Maniam, 48, will be spending more than one year and two months behind bars - after admitting to criminal intimidation by threatening to harm his estranged wife.
As he had committed the offence in breach of his remission order for an earlier conviction, he was sentenced on Wednesday (Feb 14) to an enhanced punishment of 372 days in jail on top of two months' jail for criminal intimidation.
Ramachandran was placed on the mandatory aftercare scheme from Oct 16 last year to Oct 27, 2018, and housed at Selarang Halfway House in Cosford Road.
The scheme is for inmates released under the conditional remission system and deemed to be at higher risk of recidivism. The inmates are put on a tailored programme of up to two years, involving halfway house stays, home supervision and community reintegration.
The court heard that on Oct 19 last year at about 1am, Ramachandran went to look for his wife.
He called out to his son, 21, in a garden near a HDB block in Jalan Kayu, and said he wanted to speak to his wife. When told that she was at work, he insisted on speaking to her and uttered: "I am going to beat your mother one good one and if I will go prison, I don't mind''.
In a separate incident on Oct 28 last year, Ramachandran was given time off to go out of the halfway house but had to return by 10pm. But he stayed away for more than 24 hours and returned only at 1.25am on Oct 30.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap said that by failing to remain indoors as required for an accumulative period of more than 24 hours, he had committed a serious breach of his mandatory aftercare conditions.
Saying that Ramachandran was "totally incorrigible'', Community Court Judge Eddy Tham said it was really disturbing that the moment he came out from prison, he started terrorising his family members.
He told him to stop drinking and make sure he takes steps to lead a responsible life and try and get a job when he has served his sentence.
Ramachandran, whose sentence was backdated to Nov 1, had previous convictions for criminal intimidation, mischief and was last jailed in 2016 for three years and a month and caned for causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon.
He said in mitigation that he was deeply remorseful and this would be his last brush with the law. He added that his divorce is ongoing and he wanted to spend time with his ailing 75-year-old father.
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