34½ years' jail for dad who abused 2 of his kids, causing death of one

The children from his previous marriage were so underfed that they ate their own faeces

- Selina Lum

Ayeesha was only five when she died in the toilet in her home from a head injury after her father, who had martial arts training, relentlessly smacked her.

When her broken body finally gave up in 2017 after two years of abuse, it was riddled with multiple scars, marks and other external injuries. She was also severely malnourished.

Her father had started ill-treating Ayeesha and her brother, who is a year younger, in 2015.

He underfed the toddlers, causing the girl, who was only three then, and her brother to be so hungry that they ate their own faeces and the stuffing of a mattress.

He also assaulted them and confined them naked in the toilet for 10 months.

The siblings were below the third percentile of their age group, which meant that 97 per cent of the other children in their age group were bigger and heavier than them.

Besides being severely undernourished, Ayeesha's brother was diagnosed with global developmental delay due to social deprivation. He had to undergo physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

When he was admitted to hospital after being rescued, he was not able to stand by himself despite being almost four years old. He spent more than three months in hospital, before he was well enough to be placed in foster care.

On April 30, the 44-year-old man was sentenced by the High Court to an unprecedented jail term of 342 years and 12 strokes of the cane.

He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide for the girl's death, four charges of child abuse, and one charge of disposing of evidence.

Another 20 charges, for child abuse and for lying to the police, were taken into consideration.

He was originally charged with murder for the death, and went on trial in July 2023. Part-way through the trial, he accepted the prosecution's offer to amend the charge.

The two victims were his children from his previous marriage.