A 48-year-old contract worker in Malaysia, threatened to kill his elderly mother with a pair of scissors after she refused to give him money because she was only left with RM50 (or SGD $14.55).
He was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to his charges.
The Incident: A Desperate Act Born from Financial Strain
According to The Star, the incident took place in Pesara Klebang Jaya, where V Kumaran resided with his mother. Fueled by frustration stemming from financial difficulties, Kumaran confronted his mother one Sunday afternoon.
His demand for money was met with his mother’s inability to provide more than RM50, which was reserved for essential groceries.
Frustration escalated, and Kumaran’s emotions led him to an alarming course of action. He took her last RM50 and returned her RM20, as his mother then told him to stay home.
The situation spiraled when he physically confronted his mother, dragging her into her room and pushing her, causing her to fall. He then tried to choke her before threatening to kill her, as he wielded a pair of scissors and pointed it at her neck.
Legal Proceedings and Justifications
Kumaran’s actions led to his arrest the following day, prompting a legal battle that sought to balance the severity of his actions with an understanding of his personal circumstances.
Represented by lawyer Siti Hajar Hamzah, Kumaran’s defense centered around the stress he was under due to his role as the sole caregiver for his mother.
It was revealed that Kumaran was an unmarried contract worker earning a meager RM60 per day, and his stress was amplified by the lack of support from his siblings in taking care of their mother.
The Sentencing: A Complex Balancing Act
Magistrate S Punitha presided over the case, taking into account both the severity of the threat and the context in which it occurred.
Kumaran was sentenced to a combined jail term of eight months. Four months were attributed to the charge of criminal intimidation under Section 506 of the Penal Code, while the remaining eight months were assigned for the offense of voluntarily causing hurt. Importantly, the sentences were set to run concurrently, limiting Kumaran’s time behind bars to eight months.
Images source: Screengrab via The Star