SINGAPORE: A policeman who suspected that his wife was having an affair threatened to injure her with a chopper, and then used it to cut her hair, a court heard on Thursday.
Soh Jin, 30, also punched the back of his wife's head.
Bleeding from her hand from struggling with him, Ms Mavis Toh En Xuan, 28, had to seek help from a neighbour, who called the police.
On Thursday, Soh received two community-based orders, having earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal intimidation.
He also admitted to one charge of causing hurt, which was taken into account by Community Court Judge Lim Keng Yeow in sentencing.
Soh, whom the judge found to be at low risk of reoffending, was ordered to perform 220 hours of community service within the next 12 months.
He was also placed on a 12-month day reporting order. This means he has to report to the Community Court regularly.
The court heard that on March 31, 2015, Soh moved out of his Circuit Road flat as he was having marital problems with his wife.
But he went back to the flat at about 4am two days later, on April 2.
"While in the unit, the victim and (Soh) engaged in a quarrel over the victim's suspected infidelity," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Jing Feng.
Soh dragged Ms Toh by her hair into the kitchen, where he used a pair of scissors to cut her hair.
After a brief struggle, she grabbed the scissors from him and threw it away.
But Soh, still holding on to his wife's hair, took a chopper with an 18cm-long blade and pointed it at her, before using it to cut her hair.
Ms Toh struggled to break free and the chopper fell to the floor. But Soh then grabbed another pair of scissors and used it to continue cutting at his wife's hair.
As a result of her struggles, Ms Toh suffered cuts to her neck, forearms, and left index and middle fingers, among other injuries. She was treated at Bedok Polyclinic later that day.
Soh has been suspended from the Singapore Police Force.
For committing criminal intimidation, he could have been jailed for two years and fined.
The maximum punishment for causing hurt is two years' jail and a $5,000 fine. The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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