Man Faces Jail and Cane for University Canteen Attack

 

A 39-year-old father of three has pleaded guilty to a brutal assault on his wife that left her with multiple fractures. Au Yong Khin Mun admitted to one charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt for the attack, which occurred in a public canteen.

The incident took place on the morning of December 2, 2024, at a canteen within the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Changi. The couple had just dropped their four-year-old twin daughters at a nearby preschool and were having a meal. They also have a two-year-old son and have been married for approximately five years, though they are now undergoing divorce proceedings.

According to the Deputy Public Prosecutor, the assault was triggered by a financial dispute. During breakfast, Au Yong expressed his desire to use the proceeds from the sale of their condominium to pay off his personal credit card bills. His wife disagreed, stating that the money should be used to purchase a Housing Board flat instead. This disagreement angered Au Yong, who initially attempted to slap his wife twice from across the table.

When those attempts failed to connect, the situation escalated severely. Au Yong moved to his wife's side of the table and struck her head five times with his left hand. He then used his right hand to hit her back four times. As the victim tried to walk away from the attack, Au Yong continued the assault, hitting her on the head with a cup of iced coffee and a plate of food. He delivered two more blows to her head, kneed her twice in the back, and finally grabbed her by the upper arms and flung her to the ground.

After the violent attack, Au Yong did not offer any assistance to his injured wife as she lay in pain. Instead, he continued to engage in a verbal dispute with her for about 90 seconds while bystanders helped her to her feet. The victim sustained serious injuries, including fractures to her face, left collarbone, and multiple ribs. She was hospitalized at Changi General Hospital for five days, from December 2 to December 7, 2024.

The prosecution has requested a sentence of 24 to 26 months' imprisonment along with six strokes of the cane, describing the attack as "especially cowardly" because Au Yong assaulted his wife from behind when she was trying to escape. The man will return to court for sentencing on November 6.