Jail for man who choked grandma and pulled her hair for refusing to give him money
A man choked his 84-year-old grandmother and pulled her hair when she refused to give him money, breaching a personal protection order (PPO) that restrained him from using violence against her.
On Jan 16, Jeremy Su Zhiwei, 33, was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt and another charge of contravening a protection order.
The PPO has been put in place since 2022, after he had numerous physical altercations with his grandmother.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie said that Su’s past altercations with his grandmother necessitated the intervention of the police and social services.
For instance, between 2021 and 2023, Su was admitted to the Institute of Mental Health multiple times for aggressive behaviour towards his grandmother, including pinching and choking her.
Referring to the circumstances leading to his present charges, DPP Cheah said that on Nov 22, 2024, Su went to his grandmother’s house and demanded money from her.
His grandmother rejected his demands as he refused to tell her what he needed the money for. It was not stated in court documents what the money was for.
They argued, and the grandmother later went to bed.
Still unhappy, Su followed her and started kicking her bed frame vigorously.
He then choked his grandmother and, when she grabbed his hands to break free, he pulled her hair.
She repeatedly cried for him to let go of her hair. The prosecution said this caused the victim pain, as well as bruising to her neck and redness on her scalp.
After Su released his grandmother’s hair and went to the living room, she called her son, who is also Su’s uncle, and informed him of the assault.
The police were called and Su was arrested on the same day.
Seeking 12 to 14 weeks’ jail, DPP Cheah said Su’s offences were appalling, adding: “After years of repeated abusive behaviour towards his 84-year-old grandmother, the accused has now strangled her and then pulled her hair – all because she refused to give in to his demands for money from her.
“His actions were a repeated breach of the PPO that his grandmother had tried to protect herself with.”
Before receiving his sentence, Su told District Judge Eugene Teo that after he is released from jail, he plans to continue his studies and get a job.
“I want to get a diploma because I want to make my grandma proud,” he said.
In response, the judge warned Su not to reoffend and said: “I encourage you to find a job and really try to put in an effort. You’ve set the expectation and the plan for yourself, and you should keep going in that direction.”
For voluntarily causing hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
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