Singapore  - A Singapore court sentenced a man to 12 years in jail for viciously beating his girlfriend's 3-year-old son to death, a media report said Wednesday.

Firdaus Abdullah, 27, had originally been sentenced to seven years in jail in May, but will have to spend five more years in prison after an appeal by the prosecution.

Firdaus, who will also get 12 strokes of the cane, "acted like an animal", the Straits Times newspaper quoted the judge as saying.

In January last year, he repeatedly punched the boy in the face, slammed his head against a door frame and even grabbed and bit the toddler's genitals.

The boy died in hospital a few days later from severe head injuries he had received in the beating.

Firdaus had been jealous as his girlfriend was closer to her child than to him and eventually vented his anger on the boy, the report said. (dpa)