A woman in Singapore who repeatedly scalded her 5-year-old son till he died was sentenced to life imprisonment, reports said.

The suspect, identified as Azlin Arujunah, and her husband Ridzuan Mega Abdul Rahman splashed hot water on the unidentified child four times over a week until he died from cumulative scald injuries on Oct. 23, 2016.

The 30-year-old mother, Arujunah was sentenced Tuesday for murdering the child who was often abused and confined in a tiny cage in their house in Toa Payoh. The child was also hit with a hanger, pinched with pliers, and suffered several blisters from repeated scalding, Channel News Asia reported.

The investigators determined that even when the child collapsed after being assaulted on Oct. 22, the couple took him to a hospital only about seven hours later. The boy who suffered scald injuries on over 75% of his body, died the following day.

The prosecutors described the case as "one of the worst cases of child abuse." The couple also has other children.

In 2020, a court initially sentenced the couple on lesser charges of causing grievous hurt by dangerous means. However, the new sentencing on murder charges was based on an appeal.

Although prosecutors sought a death penalty for Arujunah, the court observed that it was not warranted, as the woman's actions do not qualify for "blatant disregard for human life," as she did not think her child would die from the injuries.

However, the court pointed out that the abuse was cruel and inhumane and described her actions as "immensely disturbing," The Strait Times reported.

During interrogation, Arujunah told the investigators that she thought the scald injuries would heal on their own, as she was also scalded by her parents as a child. She also said she had attempted to administer some "self-help treatments" to the child.

Rahman was already sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of murder. "The deceased was a young child whose death was caused by his own parents in circumstances that were cruel, inexcusable, and entirely avoidable," the judges observed during the sentencing Tuesday.

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