Hiew Sin Thiam, 39, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court here for hitting his son at home in Relau at 4.40pm.

Magistrate Sri Pracha Nanthini Balabedha fined Thiam RM5,000 in default four months’ jail and also sentenced him to 14 days in jail.

Thiam’s counsel Cheah Eng Soon explained the father of two had resorted to corporal punishment to discipline his child but had since regretted and apologised for his actions.

“I would like to stress that the father had only wanted to discipline his son for failing to follow orders in doing house chores.

“By pleading guilty to the crime, the accused has shown remorse as well as saved the court’s time and costs,” Cheah said.

Cheah also asked that the court refrain from sentencing Hiew to jail as he was financially supporting a family of four.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Izzah Shaharuddin, however, said the court should mete a deterrent sentence as the accused had injured the child.