Rejected man admits attempting to kill girlfriend after breaking up extramarital affair

SINGAPORE: A couple who reunited more than a decade after ending their first relationship began an extramarital affair.

But after the 43-year-old woman ended the relationship, her jilted lover Chong Shiong Hui attacked her with a knife and a helicopter, leaving her with permanent scars.

Chong pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Thursday (November 28). His sentencing will also take into account two other charges of conspiracy related to actions he took before the crime.

While the prosecution demanded 16 to 18 years in prison and 5 or 6 strokes of the cane, her lawyer Joyce Khoo requested a prison sentence of approximately 10 years with 5 strokes of the cane.

RECONNECTED AFTER 15 YEARS

The court heard Chong met Joey Lee about 20 years ago. They dated briefly but broke up within a year in 2002.

In August 2017, the couple reconnected. By that time, both of them were already married.

The victim’s husband eventually discovered the affair in November 2018.

In November 2019, the victim decided to end the relationship. Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Chong told the court that the woman sent Chong a message on November 28, 2019, saying she “wanted to take a break from their relationship.”

Over the next two days, Chong repeatedly threatened to harm the victim, her then-six-year-old daughter, her husband, or herself.

After a night of drinking with his wife on November 29, Chong continued to send messages to intimidate the victim and threatened to make her a “widow”. After taking medication to help him sleep, he went to bed.

The next day, after a call to the victim went unanswered, Chong went to his home after 4 a.m. with a helicopter in tow. He also brought two cans of gasoline, cigarettes and a lighter.

When she reached the victim’s block, she lowered the tires of her husband’s car because she did not want him to follow her later. He continued to sip a bottle of cognac mixed with water throughout.

He then turned off the main switch of the victim’s unit to attract the attention of those inside. The victim’s maid saw Chong outside the unit after noticing his fan had stopped working, but did not approach him.

When no one answered him, Chong returned to his car and fell asleep.

He returned around 7 a.m. and called the victim and her husband but still failed to speak to the victim. He continued to send her abusive messages, even sending her a photo of the gas and the helicopter.

The victim then told Chong not to threaten her and arranged to meet her at her parents’ house.

The prosecution said, “She did not take the defendant’s threats seriously and intended to tell the defendant’s parents about their relationship and to have her parents check on the defendant. The defendant asked her to meet him at her parents’ house if that was what he wanted.” he said. .

ATTACK

At around 1:00 pm on November 30, 2019, Chong went to his family’s home in Toh Tuck district to wait for the victim. In addition to the helicopter and gasoline in the car, he also brought the fruit knife with him. He also took a knife from his parents’ kitchen and placed it on the table along with the chopper.

When the victim arrived alone at 1.25pm, she asked to speak to Chong outside the front door, but Chong pulled her inside and the door was automatically locked. Chong wore a glove on his right hand to better grip his weapon.

Pointing the helicopter at the victim, Chong argued with the woman and told her the helicopter was blind, before cutting off her forearm.

The two continued to argue about why they had to end the relationship.

At one point the woman managed to run into the garden area. But Chong caught up, grabbed her by the neck and asked if the victim “ever loved her.” According to the prosecution, he answered yes.

“The defendant told her ‘let’s die together’ in Mandarin, which led the victim to say that she did not want to die with him,” the prosecution said. he said.

Chong tried to cut the woman and ended up hurting her back and the back of her head. A neighbor heard the victim’s screams and saw the victim defending himself with a flower pot.

During the attack, Chong also grabbed a handsaw with a 18-inch blade that he saw on the car porch with the intention of attacking the victim. However, he gave up when he saw that it was too cumbersome.

At this point, Chong’s parents returned home and the victim took the opportunity to escape through the open door.

However, the attack continued. Chong slashed him in the back and, when the victim fell, left his mark on him, including his head and back.

But he stopped when his 72-year-old mother caught up with him.

When police arrived at 1.39pm, the victim’s face was covered in blood and Chong’s mother was with him. Chong identified himself as the attacker and was arrested.

VICTIM IS PERMANENTLY INJURED

The victim suffered lacerations to his right ear, scalp, pelvis, forearms and around his eyes. He had a stab wound in his right chest and an 11 cm slash wound on his back, as well as fractures in his skull.

He was given leave to stay in hospital for two months and suffered permanent disfigurement in the form of scars and alopecia (hair loss) on his scalp due to injuries to his back, scalp, ear, neck and around his eyes.

“(The victim) has numerous scars on her back, arms and hands and is forced to wear long-sleeved tops or jackets at all times, causing discomfort in her client-facing job as a manager,” the prosecution said. His medical expenses were over S$24,000 (US$17,900).

He added that the victim had many flashbacks about the attack, which disrupted his sleep. Worried about the possibility of Chong taking revenge, the family moved house.

The prosecutor’s office noted that Chong did not have a substance use disorder and was not mentally healthy.

In arguments regarding the sentence, the prosecution noted that the crime was extremely deliberate.

“The defendant drove the victim to his parents’ home, placed the weapons in anticipation of his arrival, and closed the doors behind the victim to create a death trap.

“He even decided to get a better grip on the handles of the kitchen knife and the chopper by wearing gloves.”

Mitigating for Chong, Ms Khoo said her client was driven by “an intense sense of betrayal”.

On the victim’s concerns about revenge, Ms Khoo said Chong “fully accepted” that his relationship with her had ended.

“He is committed to focusing on his own family to make up for lost time, and we … declare that our client no longer poses any threat to the victim in this case,” he said.

“The man before you today deeply regrets his action… he is ashamed that he let his family down and knows he must pay for his actions.”

The lawyer added that Chong had not seen his son since the day of the crime, when the boy was only eight years old.

“Five years later, our client’s son appears to have almost no memory of our client,” he said. He added that Chong’s wife continues to support him.

Chong’s wife and sister were also present at the hearing.

Judge Aidan Xu @ Aedit Abdullah reserved his decision and is expected to hand down the sentence on December 6.

For attempted murder, Chong faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine, caning or both.