Singaporean Man Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Newcastle Crown Court On 18 Mar
Sometimes, when tensions run high and emotions get the best of us, people can end up hurting others, even their loved ones.
Back on 6 Dec 2021, shocking news emerged of a Singaporean man who was charged with the alleged murder of his wife in a Newcastle hotel while the family was on holiday.
Man Charged For Allegedly Murdering Wife In Newcastle Hotel, Children Devastated By Mother’s Passing
On Friday (18 Mar), 50-year-old Fong Soong Hert pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Newcastle Crown Court.
He denied a charge of murdering his wife, Mdm Pek Ying Ling. Fong will return to court on 6 Jun 2022.
Man pleads guilty to manslaughter of wife
Appearing in Newcastle Crown Court on Friday (18 Mar), Fong Soong Hert admitted to his involvement in his wife Mdm Pek Ying Ling’s death.
While he denied a murder charge, Fong pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
He is scheduled to go on trial on 6 Jun, reported the BBC.
The Newcastle Crown Court added that Fong is currently in remand.
In the United Kingdom (UK), those found guilty of murder will face life imprisonment.
Initial investigations led to murder charge
According to The Straits Times (ST), the incident in question occurred on 6 Dec 2021 at the County Aparthotel along Westgate Road in Newcastle.
In a timeline of events, the Northumbria Police shared that they received a report of concern at around 7.15am (3.15pm Singapore time) on 6 Dec.
When emergency services arrived at the scene, 51-year-old Mdm Pek was not breathing.
Attempts to save her life reportedly proved to be in vain, and she was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigations subsequently led to the arrest of Fong who was then charged with murder.
Couple described as “very loving”
At the time of Mdm Pek’s death, the family was on a 2.5 month-long holiday.
The couple had left Singapore on 24 Oct and travelled to Abu Dhabi, Croatia, and Scotland before arriving in Newcastle.
At Newcastle, they met their eldest of 3 sons on 3 Dec. They were planning to meet with their 2 other sons later on the trip.
Speaking to ST, their youngest son, 24-year-old Mr Alexis Fong, said that earlier on 6 Dec, his mother texted that his father had collapsed 3 times in 18 hours.
She then called an ambulance for him to be conveyed to the hospital.
After the elder Fong was given some medicine, he and his wife returned to their rental apartment.
6 hours later, their eldest son texted Alexis that “something bad had happened” and he was going to check on it.
Just an hour later, Alexis received a call from the same brother, informing him of his mother’s death.
The family had expressed that they were “truly devastated” by the incident.
The sons, in particular, were in shock as their parents who had been married for 27 years were “very loving”, noted ST.
Hope authorities will get to bottom of matter
Coming to terms with the death of a loved one, especially under such difficult circumstances, is extremely hard.
While there are still many details of the case left unknown, it’s best to respect the family’s privacy at this time and not speculate.
Hopefully, at the end of the day, the authorities will get to the bottom of the matter and grant the family some closure to this tragic event.
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Featured image adapted from Google Hotels and Northumbria Police on Facebook.
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