Singapore court hears how a man filmed months of abuse against his infant nephew, driven by hatred for his brother-in-law.

A 32-year-old man has pleaded guilty to repeatedly abusing his infant nephew, recording the assaults to “relieve” his anger at the child’s father, in a case prosecutors described as appalling and life-threatening.

Pattern Of Hidden Abuse
The offender, who cannot be named due to a gag order, lived with his wife and the baby’s grandmother in a five room flat. Around mid 2024, the boy’s father began allowing his nine to eleven month old son to stay over for several days at a time so the grandmother could care for him. Whenever the man was left alone with the child, he subjected the boy to repeated assaults, which he filmed on his phone and later watched on his tablet whenever anger toward his brother in law resurfaced.

Escalating Violence And Near Drowning
Court documents showed that on July 18, 2024, the man offered to shower the infant, then placed him in a pail and submerged his head under water for about six seconds as the child cried. Later the same day, he struck the boy with a bolster and pressed a pillow over his face for about ten seconds. On August 13 and 14, he slapped, pinched, flicked, choked and lifted the baby by a leg and by the neck, and used a hanger placed in the back of the T shirt to hoist and drop him onto a mattress, leaving him gasping for air.

Continued Assaults And Discovery
On August 15, 2024, he again lifted and dropped the boy onto a bed, choked him several times and pressed his knee against the infant’s left foot, leaving the child dazed. The abuse came to light on September 16, 2024, when a passer by at a void deck saw him grabbing the child’s hair, smacking him and twisting his arm. She filmed the incident, confronted him and called the police after he tried to claim he was putting the boy to sleep. Officers arrested him that evening, and the victim was taken to National University Hospital.

Medical Harm And Prosecution’s Position
Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew told the court the case involved an extremely vulnerable victim and substantial force, including forceful shaking, near drowning and strangulation that could have caused traumatic brain injury or musculoskeletal trauma. A medical report stated that the boy was at risk of serious injury and that abuse likely contributed to developmental delays. The DPP described the offending as appalling and egregious and sought a sentence of 12 to 15 years’ jail on eight charges of ill treatment of a child.

Remorse Claims And Pending Sentencing
Defence lawyer Amarick Gill said his client was deeply ashamed and had tried to make amends by helping to hire four domestic helpers for the victim’s family between November 2024 and December 2025 and by paying about $750 for the boy’s medical bills. The court heard that he was driven by what he called a “visceral hatred” of his wife’s younger brother, although the reason was not disclosed. The man faces up to eight years’ jail and an $8,000 fine per charge and will be sentenced in May.

The case highlights how severe abuse can occur within extended families, even when relatives step in to “help” with childcare. For Indonesians and Singaporeans alike, it underlines the need to take unexplained injuries or distress in young children seriously, strengthen community vigilance, and ensure that legal and social support systems respond quickly when caregivers or bystanders suspect harm.

Sources: Straits Times (2026) , CNA (2026)

Keywords: Infant Abuse, Uncle Convicted, Five Room Flat, National University Hospital, Sentencing