A 49-year-old man, Lim Hwa Ghee, was sentenced to a 10-day short detention order on December 24 for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Ms. Chua Sok Hoon, during a heated altercation shortly after their breakup. The court considered one charge of voluntarily causing hurt, with another charge of criminal intimidation taken into account for sentencing.
Lim and Ms. Chua, aged 46, had been living together in her flat until their relationship ended following an argument in April 2023. Two days after the breakup, on April 8, Lim returned to the flat to discuss their relationship and his living arrangements. This discussion escalated into a violent confrontation.
During the dispute, Ms. Chua grabbed Lim's shirt to prevent him from leaving the flat, which led Lim to push her shoulders. When she slapped him in response, he retaliated by slapping her twice. Lim then fetched a kitchen chopper, dragged her to the bedroom, and pinned her chest down on the bed. He swung the chopper beside her face several times to intimidate her, asking, "You still want to do this, is it?"
Although the chopper eventually slipped from his grasp, Ms. Chua managed to escape the bedroom. The quarrel continued in the living room, including a dispute over a bloodied quilt cover resulting from the earlier struggle. Lim’s actions escalated when Ms. Chua tried to prevent him from leaving the flat multiple times. Agitated, he grabbed her neck and pushed her against a wall, momentarily causing her to lose her breath before letting go.
After the confrontation, Ms. Chua told Lim to leave, and he complied. She reported the incident to the police later that day. A medical examination revealed bruises on her neck, chest, and arms, an abrasion on her neck, and a cut on her arm. Ms. Chua was prescribed pain medication and given three days of medical leave.
During court proceedings, the prosecution sought a custodial sentence of five to six weeks but later revised it to a short detention order of seven to 14 days, citing the seriousness of the case. The defense, led by Mr. Asoka Markandu, argued that Lim was not the initial aggressor and that his actions were a reaction to being prevented from leaving the flat. The defense sought a three-day short detention order as an alternative to a fine.
District Judge John Ng ruled that Lim’s actions warranted a custodial sentence due to the severity of the violence, particularly his use of a chopper to intimidate the victim and grabbing her neck, a vulnerable area. However, considering Lim's status as a first-time offender and the lack of ongoing violence in their tumultuous relationship, the judge deemed a community-based sentence appropriate.
Judge Ng noted that the incident was a one-off occurrence and highlighted that the cut on Ms. Chua’s arm was accidental, not caused by Lim’s actions with the chopper. A short detention order, which lasts up to 14 days, allows offenders to experience prison life without leaving a criminal record.
In Singapore, the maximum penalty for voluntarily causing hurt is three years in jail, a fine of S$5,000, or both.
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