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The woman not only caned and kicked her daughter but also once threw a chair at her.
Yesterday, the woman, whose child was born out of wedlock, was jailed seven months for ill-treating the four-year-old.
The 25-year-old had admitted earlier to repeatedly caning and kicking the girl and throwing a chair at her between Nov 22, 2010 and Jan 29 last year.
She had also pleaded guilty to repeatedly caning, slapping, kicking her daughter and using clothes pegs to pinch her back in February and March last year.
The woman cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, who is now six.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan said the child’s biological father left the accused after she became pregnant.
She also has two other daughters with a 31-year-old former boyfriend.
The accused repeatedly abused the child over trivial matters, while she and the victim were staying with the then boyfriend.
Once, Mr Raja said, she threw a chair at the victim, who was injured as a result.
Investigations showed that when the accused and the victim moved in to live with a 22-year-old female friend and her family, the abuse continued.
Her friend, who had seen cane marks on the child’s body, told her to stop but she did not listen.
No longer able to tolerate her abuse, the friend chased her out of the flat on March 29 last year. The next day, the friend took the child to the accused’s former boyfriend, who lodged a police report.
A medical report showed the child had multiple bruises and marks on the face, limbs and back.
The accused had earlier told District Judge Liew Thiam Leng that she had gone for counselling and had not abused her daughter for the past 11/2 years.
“I was an immature mother before but I have changed. I hope you will give me a lighter sentence,” she said.
The victim is now in the care of her maternal grandfather.
Judge Liew, who noted the “tremendous progress” the accused had made, said the usual sentence for such cases is a jail term of six to 15 months.
The accused has theft convictions in 2003 and 2004.
Under the Children and Young Persons Act, she could have been fined up to $4,000 and/or jailed for up to four years on each charge.
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