State police chief Yusoff Mamat said the 41-year-old suspect was relieving himself when his father scolded him, based on an account of the 11.30am incident by the suspect’s sibling, Sinar Harian reported.

“The suspect was startled and immediately punched his father. The man fell and hit his head on the cement floor, cracking his skull,” he was quoted as saying at the Tanah Merah police headquarters today.

Yusoff said the suspect is being remanded and will be referred to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

He said the victim was confirmed dead while receiving treatment at Raja Perempuan Zainab Hospital II at 6.30pm on Tuesday.

The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

“An autopsy by the hospital’s forensic department found that the cause of death was a blunt force injury to the head, which cracked his skull and caused internal bleeding in the brain,” he said.