Man jailed two weeks for harassing his mother after demands for hug, money were rejected
Shane Chia, 28, was sentenced to two weeks’ jail and fined S$1,500 for harassing his mother while intoxicated.
SINGAPORE — In the early hours one morning in March last year, he demanded a hug from his mother, was refused, and ended up punching his mother’s fiance.
Then in November, the 28-year-old, who has since been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, returned to his mother’s house to ask for S$10,000, was again rejected, and threw a tantrum.
On Thursday (June 27), Shane Chia was sentenced to two weeks’ jail and fined S$1,500 for harassing his mother while intoxicated.
Chia pleaded with the judge to defer the serving of his sentence, saying that he wanted to get on the straight and narrow.
“Please let me seek help for the root cause of my problem, which is alcohol,” he told the court.
He added that he has since steered clear from alcohol and lined up a series of visits to counsellors and therapists for help, and now needs time to rearrange the appointments.
Chia’s pleas were denied.
District Judge May Mesenas noted that alcohol had played a heavy part in Chia’s lifestyle, and that he had been abusing it for a long time, which had led him to commit offences under its influence.
“It’s good that you recognise the problem is alcohol,” said the judge.
But she added that if Chia is serious about quitting alcohol, he can continue with his therapy sessions after he is released from prison.
“Hopefully you don’t lose that desire when you complete imprisonment.”
Aside from telling Chia to take responsibility for his actions, she told him to get a job when he is released.
“Don’t rely on your mother for money. You’re 28,” said the judge. “She needs a break and needs to be financially independent, and so do you.”
‘WHY DON’T YOU WANT TO HUG ME?’
After a night of drinking and clubbing on March 30 last year, Chia went to his mother’s house in the wee hours and demanded a hug from her.
His mother, who is now 59, had previously taken out a personal protection order (PPO) against Chia in 2015 and it was still in effect when he made his unannounced visit.
When she rejected his demand for a hug, he became enraged and referenced her private parts when he said: “I am your son, I was born out of (you), am I dirty? Why don’t you want to hug me?”
The mother’s 59-year-old fiancé stepped in and tried to calm Chia down, but the younger man punched him in the face.
In a separate incident on Nov 21, Chia again visited his mother in the early hours.
Intoxicated, Chia woke his mother up by banging on her room door and demanded that she give him S$10,000 to replenish his bank account.
Again, she refused, which agitated him. He threw a tantrum, shouting and kicking the furniture in the house.
His mother said she was worried that he would hurt her.
Chia had pleaded guilty on May 29 to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt, breaching his PPO and harassing his mother.
