Singaporean couple on trial for murder of five-year-old son they kept in a cage
- The boy died from severe injuries in October 2016 after being scalded repeatedly with hot water, inflicting burns to two-thirds of his body
- Prosecutor told the court: ‘This is a murder as horrific as it is tragic … The accused persons are solely responsible for these injuries’
A Singapore couple accused of repeatedly abusing their five-year-old son, including confining him in a metal cage meant for their pet cat, went on trial for his murder in the High Court on Tuesday.
Azlin Arujunah and Ridzuan Mega Abdul Rahman – both 27 years old – face multiple charges of ill-treating and assaulting the child in their one-room rental flat. They have also claimed trial to committing murder with common intention between October 15-22, 2016.
The boy died from severe injuries on October 23, 2016, after being scalded with hot water. Neither he nor the couple’s other children can be named due to a court gag order to protect their identities.
Prosecutors allege the couple splashed the boy on his legs, hands, chest, hands and stomach with hot water on at least four occasions. Doctors who treated him found that second- to third-degree burns covered two-thirds of his body, and prosecutors said he showed “classic signs” of physical abuse: cuts on his head and face, nasal bone fractures and extensive bruises over his limbs and back.
If convicted of murder, the boy’s parents face the death penalty.
The boy was fostered out when he was a few weeks old, around March 2011. Azlin could not take care of him and handed him to her close friend, Zufarina Abdul Hamid. At the time, Azlin and Ridzuan were unemployed and relied on financial assistance.
Zufarina took care of the child like her own, according to facts not disputed between the prosecution and defence.
This is a murder as horrific as it is tragic … The accused persons are solely responsible for these injuries