By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent

A WOMAN was sentenced to six months' jail on Wednesday for abetting her son to burn a relative's car almost two years ago.

But Teo Sew Eng, 53, immediately served notice to appeal and and was granted $15,000 bail.

She had admitted to intentionally helping her son, Louis Hong Hsieh Shuen, 17, to commit mischief by fire.

Hong is currently serving a 24-month probation while his accomplice, Ho Ki Yeow, 18, was placed on 21 months' probation after admitting to burning his uncle's car at Block 7B Commonwealth Avenue around midnight on Oct 24, 2006.

Teo was the mistress of businessman Anthony Hong Weng, Louis' father. After he died in 1998, Teo felt that her son should have received $300,000 from his late father but Mr Hong's sister, Dorothy Tan, said her brother had only left $100,000 to Louis.

Teo provided a plastic bag containing a bottle of petrol, a packet of charcoal and a piece of face cloth to her son who set fire to the Nissan Sunny car at about 9pm on Oct 23 that year.

Her lawyer, Mr Subhas Anandan, asked Community Court judge May Mesenas to consider calling for a pre-sentence report as his client was suffering from dysthymia, a chronic depressive disorder.

However, the judge felt that probation was not appropriate as the offence was serious and carries a mandatory jail term of up to seven years and a fine.