Woman gets sole custody of son, 14, who rejects 'tiger dad'

A senior consultant doctor has been awarded sole custody of her 14-year-old son, who threatened to commit self-harm if he had to live with his "tiger dad".

The boy accused his father of forcing him to finish his Chinese homework while in tears, and compelling him to change co-curricular activities in order to get into a prestigious school.

The High Court also ruled that the husband, a 52-year-old Australian who is now a permanent resident, should receive 69 per cent of their marital assets while the wife received 31 per cent.

The court calculated the couple's assets at $8,673,727, including private homes in Pasir Panjang and Clementi, as well as stocks, savings, and jewelry.

Son refused contact with father

Shin Min Daily News reported that the couple got married in Feb 2009. The 50-year-old woman works in a hospital, while the man is an ex-investment analyst who retired in 2013.

After moving out of the marital home, the woman filed for divorce in 2021, and the two went to court over their marital assets and son.

Although the two initially agreed to share custody of their son, the woman demanded sole care and custody of the boy, claiming that father and son had a bad relationship. In July 2022, the court issued a temporary order granting permission for the boy to stay overnight with his father.

Upon learning of this, the boy told his principal that he felt pressured and afraid to communicate with his father, saying he would resort to self-harm if he had to live with him.

The woman said that as the man insisted on meeting his son, the boy eventually ran away from home.

Sold custody awarded to the mother

During a recent appearance before a judge, the boy accused his father of being overly focused on his academic performance.

He claimed that as a child, his father ignored him while he was crying on his mother's lap and insisted he complete his Chinese tuition.

The boy also accused his father of forbidding him from taking part in his floorball co-curricular activity, instead forcing him to take up tennis to improve his chances of getting into his desired secondary school through the direct admission program.

Because the son repeatedly said that he did not want to have any contact with his father, the judge awarded the son's custody, care and supervision to his mother.

He also ordered the husband to video chat with his son for half an hour every week under the supervision of a counselor for a period of six months. If the relationship between the two progresses, adjustments will be made afterwards.