SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A father of three young children who hit his wife repeatedly and flung her onto the ground after a disagreement has been sentenced to 23 months and two weeks’ jail.
Au Yong Khin Mun, 40, was also sentenced to two strokes of the cane on Jan 12.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt to his wife, who suffered fractures to her face, collarbone and ribs.
The court previously heard that Au Yong and his wife were undergoing divorce proceedings.
The assault happened on Dec 2, 2024, at a canteen located in the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Changi.
The couple were there for breakfast after dropping off their four-year-old twin daughters at a nearby pre-school.
They have been married for about five years and also have a two-year-old son.
As they chatted over breakfast, Au Yong told his wife that he wanted to use money from the sale of their condominium to pay off his credit card bills.
His wife disagreed and suggested using the money to purchase an HDB flat.
Upset by this, Au Yong attempted to slap his wife from across the table.
When he failed, he walked to her side of the table and hit her multiple times on her back and head.
As she walked away with her back facing Au Yong, he hit her head with a cup of iced coffee and a plate of food. He also kneed her in her back, grabbed her from behind and flung her onto the ground.
The wife suffered multiple fractures and was hospitalised for six days.
Urging the court to impose a jail term of between 24 and 26 months and six strokes of the cane, Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriya Prakash described Au Yong’s actions as “especially cowardly” because he had waited for the victim to turn her back to him before assaulting her.
Those who are convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt can be jailed for up to 10 years and are liable to a fine and caning. -- The Straits Times/ANN
