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By Elysa Chen and Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
FOR days, little Izzul cried out in pain as he was being abused in a HDB flat in Chin Swee Road.
The 3-year-old was slapped, punched and kicked by his mother's boyfriend. His vicious attacker even bit his penis.
On 14 Jan last year, Muhammad Izzul Salihin's 3rd birthday, neighbours again heard his screams.
Then, more ominously, there was silence.
On that day, the little boy was bashed so brutally that he had to be rushed to hospital.
He died a few days later.
Today, where the boy's playful laughter used to fill Mr Muhammad Farzid's home, all that remains is an eerie ilence.
Mr Farzid, 30, is Izzul's dad.
These days he buries himself in work. He doesn't want to talk about the incident.
In May this year, his ex-wife's boyfriend, Firdaus Abdullah, 27, was sentenced to seven years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for causing grievous hurt and ill-treating Izzul.
Last Tuesday, Firdaus' sentence was increased to 12 years' jail after an appeal by the prosecution.
Izzul's aunt, Ms Nurkhairunnisah, 20, told The New Paper last Thursday the harsher sentence made no difference as it would not bring her nephew back.
"Because of him, my nephew's gone. We had so little time to take care of Izzul... I miss his laughter most. I can't bring myself to think of how he suffered.
"I'm so angry with his killer, I want to throw my shoe at him."
Firdaus was then living with Mr Farzid's ex-wife, Ms Nadiyana Yacoub and Izzul in a flat near Chin Swee Road.
He was said to have been jealous that his girlfriend was closer to her son than she was to him.
On 12 Jan last year, he hit Izzul so hard that his knuckles became swollen.
Two days later, on Izzul's birthday, Firdaus lashed out again at the boy when he cried for his mother.
The attack proved to be fatal.
Ms Nurkhairunnisah, an ITE student, said Izzul was a friendly boy who knew how to take care of himself.
When he was upset, Izzul would take his pillow and bottle of milk, and sit in a corner to pacify himself.
She added: "We loved him a lot. Now that he's gone, there's a great impact on my family."
Izzul was a regular visitor to her home and had lived with her family for a few months before his mother took him back.
Although Izzul's time with his father's family was short, everyone missed him dearly when he left.
Izzul was especially "manja" (Malay for affectionate) with his father, she said.
Ms Nurkhairunnisah said of the tragedy: "My brother remained very strong throughout."
Mr Farzid had earlier told The New Paper that he could not understand how Firdaus could have attacked his son so viciously.
The day Izzul was born was the happiest day of his life, Mr Farzid said.
He doted on his only child so much that he could not bear to scold or beat him when he misbehaved.
Every month, Mr Farzid visits his son's grave at the Choa Chu Kang cemetery.
He carries a photo of Izzul in his wallet, and there isn't a day when he doesn't think of him, he said.
"This photograph is all that I am left with now," said Mr Farzid, who has not kept in touch with his ex-wife since they were divorced in 2007.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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