Man Jailed For Beating Up Elderly Mother Who Refused To Share Her ATM Card PIN

A Singapore man was sentenced to jail on Thursday for beating up his elderly mother with her walking stick when she refused to share her ATM card PIN.

Adrian Yap Yin Leung, 56, has been sentenced to five years and three months in jail for one charge of robbery and another for failing to report for bail.

The incident happened on Oct. 16, 2018, when Leung was with her mother, Madam Geok, in her flat. Leung asked his mother to reveal her ATM card's PIN so he could withdraw money for his personal use.

When his 77-year-old mother refused to share her PIN, he started assaulting her. He stamped on her body, pulled her hair and kicked her. Leung also threatened to cut off all her fingers with a knife.

Badly injured and in great pain, Geok finally revealed her PIN. He left the flat the following morning with his mother's ATM card and made a withdrawal of around $1,500, reported Channel News Asia.

The severely injured woman could not call the police for help on the day of the incident. After seeing that her son had left, she crawled out of her bed and sought help from the neighbors. The neighbors noticed her injuries and alerted the police.

Geok was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries for 36 days. The doctors found that she had fractures on her ribs and hemorrhage around her brain. She also suffered trauma after the incident and was scared to go out.

While she was in the hospital, Leung returned the card to her wallet. The police arrested Leung on Oct. 26, 2018, and he was released on personal bond the day after. On Aug. 5, 2019, he was rearrested again for failing to comply with bond conditions.

The prosecutor told the court that the assault was against a woman who was "frail, helpless and unable to retaliate," reported The Strait Times.

During the sentencing, the court also took into account Leung's charge of possessing a false Singapore passport.

The Singapore law allows offenders convicted on charges of voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery to be jailed between five and 20 years and caned with at least 12 strokes. Leung, however, cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.