http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,204559,00.html?
Mum stands by son jailed in 2007, but vows to abandon him when he's jailed last week for molest
I won't forgive son this time
But girlfriend attends court hearings & vows to stick by him
By Chong Shin Yen
June 10, 2009
SHE lived in constant fear of the police knocking on her door.
Her son had once run afoul of the law, and she was afraid that he would slip back into his old ways.
One and a half years ago, her son, Tan Wen Zhong, was jailed a day and fined when he wore a bikini and paraded himself to women in a lift.
'I was always scared of the day when the police would turn up at my door,' said his mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Ng.
Then at 1am on 17 Apr, Madam Ng, 48, heard the dreaded knock on the door. When she opened it, her heart sank.
The police was there to arrest her son - this time for molest.
Tan, unemployed, had preyed on young students returning home late at night. He lifted their skirts and grabbed their buttocks.
Last week, the 23-year-old was jailed for a year for molesting three female students.
Madam Ng, a factory worker, now wants nothing to do with him.
She said in Mandarin: 'My heart sank when I found out that he had let me down once again. Before he was led away, I told him that since he did not listen to me, I would not be visiting him.'
That was the last time Madam Ng saw her son.
She did not attend court when he was sentenced and has not been to prison to visit him.
Madam Ng did not engage a lawyer for him either. Tan's father and siblings also did not want to have anything to do with him.
Madam Ng added that she would not be bringing Tan home when he is released.
'As a mother, it hurts to abandon my son in this manner. But I don't want him to think that I would forgive him easily whenever he makes mistakes,' she said.
'As much as it pains me, I want him to learn his lesson this time. I won't forgive him. After his first brush with the law, he promised me that he wouldn't do it again. But he did it again.'
Face strained with emotion, she described how she stood by him the first time he got into trouble and the emotional toll it took on her.
After he was jailed in December 2007 and fined $11,000 Tan's father kicked him out of the house.
At that time, Tan and his elder brother, 25, were living with his father. His parents divorced 10 years ago.
Tan's younger sister, 18, lives with their mother.
Ashamed
Madam Ng said that her ex-husband was infuriated after their son was arrested for parading himself in bikinis.
She said: 'His father was ashamed of what he did and kicked him (Tan) out of the house. He then came to live with me.
'I bailed him out and went around searching for a lawyer for him. I also attended all the court hearings with him.'
Madam Ng paid his fine of $11,000 after he was sentenced.
She also found him a psychiatrist, but the doctor said he was not suffering from any illness.
Said Madam Ng: 'I didn't know how else I could help him. So I was hoping that I would be able to change him with my love.
'I wanted to help him mend his ways.'
Tan stopped schooling after his O levels. After completing national service, he did odd jobs but did not stay long each time. He last worked as a waiter at a hotel.
Madam Ng said she was constantly living in fear of him re-offending. She would get worried whenever Tan was not home before midnight.
Sometimes, she would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night to check if Tan was home.
If he was not, she would call him to find out where he was.
She said: 'I felt pressured. I was afraid that I was unable to take him in hand.
'Now and then, I would remind him not to break the law again. He always replied 'I know. I won't'.'
But he didn't and that was the last straw.
But one woman, according to Madam Ng, is still sticking by him - his 21-year-old girlfriend.
Said Madam Ng: 'She's a good and obedient girl. I told her that my son is not good enough for her.
'But she's blinded by love and is so stubborn. She would cry whenever we talk about him. She told me that if she leaves him now, no one will care for him anymore.'
Madam Ng said that Tan's girlfriend, who works in her family's business, is still upset about what he did and she did not want The New Paper to get in touch with her.
Tan has known her since he was 15.
She religiously attended his court hearings and would update Madam Ng.
'I told her not to go. But she told me she wanted to give him moral support,' said Madam Ng.
'She is a nice girl and I don't want my son to hurt her anymore.'
Softened
On the day he was sentenced, Tan was disappointed when he did not see his mother in the court room.
Madam Ng said: 'His girlfriend told me that he'd asked her where I was and why I wasn't in court. He was hoping that I had forgiven him.'
At this point, Madam Ng's tough stance softened. Choking back tears, she said that if Tan came to look for her after his release, she might 'help him secretly'.
Tan, in his mitigation, told the court that he had a girlfriend and that she was in court to show her support.
District Judge Jill Tan then asked him if he had considered her feelings when he committed the offences.
Tan replied: 'I don't know.'
For molest, Tan could have been jailed two years and caned on each charge.
Mum stands by son jailed in 2007, but vows to abandon him when he's jailed last week for molest
I won't forgive son this time
But girlfriend attends court hearings & vows to stick by him
By Chong Shin Yen
June 10, 2009
SHE lived in constant fear of the police knocking on her door.
Her son had once run afoul of the law, and she was afraid that he would slip back into his old ways.
One and a half years ago, her son, Tan Wen Zhong, was jailed a day and fined when he wore a bikini and paraded himself to women in a lift.
'I was always scared of the day when the police would turn up at my door,' said his mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Ng.
Then at 1am on 17 Apr, Madam Ng, 48, heard the dreaded knock on the door. When she opened it, her heart sank.
The police was there to arrest her son - this time for molest.
Tan, unemployed, had preyed on young students returning home late at night. He lifted their skirts and grabbed their buttocks.
Last week, the 23-year-old was jailed for a year for molesting three female students.
Madam Ng, a factory worker, now wants nothing to do with him.
She said in Mandarin: 'My heart sank when I found out that he had let me down once again. Before he was led away, I told him that since he did not listen to me, I would not be visiting him.'
That was the last time Madam Ng saw her son.
She did not attend court when he was sentenced and has not been to prison to visit him.
Madam Ng did not engage a lawyer for him either. Tan's father and siblings also did not want to have anything to do with him.
Madam Ng added that she would not be bringing Tan home when he is released.
'As a mother, it hurts to abandon my son in this manner. But I don't want him to think that I would forgive him easily whenever he makes mistakes,' she said.
'As much as it pains me, I want him to learn his lesson this time. I won't forgive him. After his first brush with the law, he promised me that he wouldn't do it again. But he did it again.'
Face strained with emotion, she described how she stood by him the first time he got into trouble and the emotional toll it took on her.
After he was jailed in December 2007 and fined $11,000 Tan's father kicked him out of the house.
At that time, Tan and his elder brother, 25, were living with his father. His parents divorced 10 years ago.
Tan's younger sister, 18, lives with their mother.
Ashamed
Madam Ng said that her ex-husband was infuriated after their son was arrested for parading himself in bikinis.
She said: 'His father was ashamed of what he did and kicked him (Tan) out of the house. He then came to live with me.
'I bailed him out and went around searching for a lawyer for him. I also attended all the court hearings with him.'
Madam Ng paid his fine of $11,000 after he was sentenced.
She also found him a psychiatrist, but the doctor said he was not suffering from any illness.
Said Madam Ng: 'I didn't know how else I could help him. So I was hoping that I would be able to change him with my love.
'I wanted to help him mend his ways.'
Tan stopped schooling after his O levels. After completing national service, he did odd jobs but did not stay long each time. He last worked as a waiter at a hotel.
Madam Ng said she was constantly living in fear of him re-offending. She would get worried whenever Tan was not home before midnight.
Sometimes, she would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night to check if Tan was home.
If he was not, she would call him to find out where he was.
She said: 'I felt pressured. I was afraid that I was unable to take him in hand.
'Now and then, I would remind him not to break the law again. He always replied 'I know. I won't'.'
But he didn't and that was the last straw.
But one woman, according to Madam Ng, is still sticking by him - his 21-year-old girlfriend.
Said Madam Ng: 'She's a good and obedient girl. I told her that my son is not good enough for her.
'But she's blinded by love and is so stubborn. She would cry whenever we talk about him. She told me that if she leaves him now, no one will care for him anymore.'
Madam Ng said that Tan's girlfriend, who works in her family's business, is still upset about what he did and she did not want The New Paper to get in touch with her.
Tan has known her since he was 15.
She religiously attended his court hearings and would update Madam Ng.
'I told her not to go. But she told me she wanted to give him moral support,' said Madam Ng.
'She is a nice girl and I don't want my son to hurt her anymore.'
Softened
On the day he was sentenced, Tan was disappointed when he did not see his mother in the court room.
Madam Ng said: 'His girlfriend told me that he'd asked her where I was and why I wasn't in court. He was hoping that I had forgiven him.'
At this point, Madam Ng's tough stance softened. Choking back tears, she said that if Tan came to look for her after his release, she might 'help him secretly'.
Tan, in his mitigation, told the court that he had a girlfriend and that she was in court to show her support.
District Judge Jill Tan then asked him if he had considered her feelings when he committed the offences.
Tan replied: 'I don't know.'
For molest, Tan could have been jailed two years and caned on each charge.
