Probation not suitable for teen who punched one girl, left another with broken nose: Prosecutor
Photo illustration of child abuse.
SINGAPORE: An 18-year-old girl who punched her love rival and left a colleague with a broken nose in two separate attacks in one night has been deemed unsuitable for probation, a report revealed.
Several risk factors were highlighted in a probation report assessing Joyce Goh Kok Tin's suitability for probation, including her continued close association with friends with a criminal history, the court heard on Friday (Jan 3).
The probation officer who assessed Goh also told the court on Friday that feedback from the teenager's school showed that her parents had a "permissive" style of parenting.
The probation officer also said that probation with the additional condition of hostel residence - an approved institution housing young offenders on probation - had not been considered in the report as the teenager had not been agreeable to it during the time of assessment.
The officer and court documents did not provide details on how the parenting was permissive.
Feedback from schools, the offenders and parents are taken into consideration when deciding if a young person is suitable for probation. Other factors included in the probation report include information on family support, the home environment and medical history.
TEENAGER PUNCHED LOVE RIVAL, BROKE COLLEAGUE'S NOSE
Goh had admitted in December to punching a 17-year-old love rival and instigating a group of people to attack a 15-year-old colleague at a birthday party in separate attacks.
Goh had held a grudge against the 17-year-old for dating her ex-boyfriend. On Dec 17, 2018, Goh brought a group of people to confront her love rival at a block in Yishun. During a scuffle, Goh punched the 17-year-old on her lips, leaving a cut.
A few hours after the first attack, Goh decided to go to a party after noticing on Instagram that a colleague she did not like was a guest.
There, she punched and kicked the face of the 15-year-old victim, who was pinned to the ground by three other girls who sat on her.
Goh also flicked a lit cigarette onto the girl's neck and threatened to dig her eyeballs out.
The girl suffered multiple injuries, including a broken nose.
TEENAGER DISPLAYED SELF-HARMING, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES FROM A YOUNG AGE
On Friday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheng Yuxi urged the court to impose reformative training on Goh, saying that her charges for rioting and voluntarily causing grievous hurt were very serious offences.
"The accused was the instigator, and the attacks were relentless and committed with a group of others," she said.
She said a structured environment in a reformative training centre would help address some risk factors such as the lack of family support and Goh's attitude towards using violence to solve problems.
Defence lawyer Ng Kwong Loong said his client, a first-time offender, was "a prime candidate for rehabilitation".
"According to the probation report, my client had anger management issues," he said. "She had previously inflicted self-harm by slashing her wrists and thighs, and attempted suicide in 2015."
He said Goh was now willing to "subject herself to being placed in a hostel". She had rejected this at the time of assessment as she preferred to remain under her parents' supervision, Mr Ng said.
"A hostel environment is softer and more gentle on my client, who is only 18 years old, as compared to reformative training centre."
SHE'S NOT A ROTTEN PERSON: DEFENCE
Mr Ng highlighted that Goh did not take drugs and was not an alcoholic and that her "best years" were ahead of her.
"My client is not a rotten person which necessitates specific deterrence," said the lawyer.
"It is true that she had exhibited violent conduct but those conduct happened in the events that occurred (on one day), there was no sustained and prolonged conduct spanning days."
In response, the prosecutor said that several risk factors were highlighted in Goh's probation report, including Goh's continued close association with her groups of friends, some of whom have a criminal history, and the permissive parenting that resulted in her parents being unable to exert control over her.
Asked by District Judge Seah Chi-Ling on her opinion on hostel residency for Goh, Ms Cheng said that the teenager lacked the degree of family support and constructive engagement required for probation to be considered as a sentencing option.
SCHOOL INDICATED "PERMISSIVE" PARENTING: PROBATION OFFICER
The probation officer was called to the witness stand and told the judge that a hostel stay had not been considered as Goh had rejected that option at the time of assessment.
"Even if there was a hostel stay we would require family support," said the officer. "She would be released on home leave over the weekends. Parental supervision will play a key role."
She said Goh's secondary school had reported that her parents had a "permissive" style of parenting.
The officer also said that Goh's parents had indicated that they had a close relationship with their daughter.
The judge deferred sentencing to Jan 31 and called for a supplementary probation report to consider whether hostel residence would address the risk factor of permissive parenting.
He stressed that even if the report was positive, he would have to weigh that against other factors as the level of violence in the two attacks was significant.
