Many of my clients wonder what the point of getting a Family Court PPO is. After a Family Court PPO does not ensure that you get 24-hour protection from an aggressor.
Well, if you are granted a Family Court PPO and the aggressor contravenes the Family Court PPO, there is a possibility that he/ she may be found guilty of an offence. The penalty for contravening a Family Court PPO is a fine of not more than $2,000 or an imprisonment term of not more than 6 months, or both. Repeat offenders will receive more severe punishments.
In a recent case, an Austrian man was sentenced to 6 weeks of imprisonment for breaching a Family Court PPO and 2 charges of causing hurt to his ex-wife.
On 26 May 2017, Madam Tay Siew Noi, Gerhardt Resch and their daughter were travelling in a taxi. Resch assaulted Tay in the taxi, causing Tay and their daughter to jump out of the taxi along Seletar North Link.
Resch had pulled Tay’s hair, grabbed her shoulder forcefully and knocked her head against the taxi window.
After jumping off the taxi, Tay ran towards some passers-by who called the police. As a result of the incident, Tay suffered a “small bruise on her left shoulder and tenderness overlying the left trapezius muscle”.
The couple had divorced in early 2016.
Resch pleaded guilty to the breach of a Family Court PPO which was granted on 23 December 2015.
See: Elena Chong, “Man gets 6 weeks for hurting ex-wife and breaching personal protection order”, The Straits Times, 7 July 2017
Read more about the consequences of a breach of PPO at this link.
For more information on Family Court PPO, contact us today!
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