Man jailed almost 8 years & caned for abusing girlfriend with weapons over godfather jealousy
A 30-year-old man was sentenced to nearly eight years’ jail and nine strokes of the cane last Thursday (6 June) after pleading guilty to violently assaulting his girlfriend in a string of disturbing acts of abuse.
Fuelled by jealousy over her wanting to meet her godfather, the man tied the woman’s hands and feet using her own bra and shorts, The Straits Times reported.
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He also slashed her thigh with a saw and filmed her lying naked on his bed.
The couple were living together in the man’s flat in Tampines at the time of the incident, which happened in Jan 2023. The couple have since broken up.
Victim forced to beg for mercy during prolonged attack
According to court documents, the assault began when the woman said she wanted to meet her godfather. Accusing her of infidelity, the man dragged her by the collar into the bedroom and beat her with a mop handle until she collapsed.
He then forced her to strip naked, tied her limbs, and used a 30cm saw to slash her thigh. When he noticed her hands had turned purple, he removed the bindings, but continued the assault by hitting her on the head and thighs with a hammer. He also ordered her to beg him to stop.
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To free herself, the woman was forced to use a pair of scissors, thrown at her by the man, to cut herself loose.
Despite the severity of the attack, prosecutors noted that the couple talked, and she later told the accused she forgave him.
Burned girlfriend with lighter fluid in earlier incident
The assault in Jan 2023 was not an isolated case. In Sept 2022, the man had attacked the victim after she received a phone call from an unknown number.
Suspecting it was from a male intern, he tied her to the bed with a cable tie, doused her with gas lighter fluid and held an open flame close to her chest, burning her.
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She falsely claimed the caller was indeed a male intern in an attempt to appease him. He eventually released her, tended to her burns and cooked for her.
Violent outburst against older inmate while in jail
The court also heard that in June 2022, while in prison for drug offences, the same man violently assaulted a 62-year-old inmate who had asked him for bread.
He punched the elderly inmate repeatedly, kneed him in the head, and kicked him until he collapsed. The victim was found unconscious and had to be resuscitated at the hospital.
Domestic violence acts were ‘egregious’
The prosecutor noted that the man’s repeated abuse occurred within a domestic relationship and involved serious physical and emotional harm.
“The victim said she had forgiven the accused, but that does not make what he did any less egregious,” he said.
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The man received a jail sentence of seven years, 11 months, and 191 days’ jail, as well as nine strokes of the cane.
He also received an enhanced sentence of 472 days for committing the offences while under a remission order.
Defence cites depression & the man being “possessive”
In mitigation, defence lawyer Mr A. Revi Shanker said his client had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder at the time of the offences.
“He was possessive of his girlfriend and was a bit jealous,” the lawyer said.
“The disorder contributed to his anger … but what he did was not premeditated. He acknowledges the seriousness of his actions.”
If found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, one can be jailed for up to seven years’ jail, fined, and caned.
Meanwhile, if found guilty of wrongful confinement, the punishment goes up to three years’ jail, fine, or both.
Also read: Tampines community cat found dead with blunt force trauma to his head, feeders appeal for witnesses
Tampines community cat found dead with blunt force trauma to his head, feeders appeal for witnesses
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