She rushed into the bedroom when she heard her mum howling with pain. What she saw was to haunt her forever.
Her father was stabbing her mother.
The Jealous Ex-Husband
Mohamad Jonit Adnan and Madam Sri Idayu Ghazali had got married in 2007. They had two daughters and a rather messy relationship.
Jonit was guilty of having an extramarital affair with a woman, with whom he had a son. He did not have a stable job either.
Madam Sri Idayu filed for divorce in March 2016. In July 2016, she also applied for a PPO (Personal Protection Order) against her husband.
Her parents, sister Sulastri, and maid moved into the flat, after Jonit moved out.
On 13 August 2016, Jonit took his daughters to the playground. He asked if their mother had been staying out late. They said, “Yes.”
This made him angry and jealous as he suspected Idayu was in a relationship with someone else.
After dropping the girls back at their Yishun Ring Road flat, he picked up a knife from the kitchen and hid it inside his back pocket.
Man Kills Ex-Wife in Singapore
Later on, Idayu’s sister and older daughter went outside. Jonit used the chance to confront Idayu. He asked her if she had gone out the previous night.
She ended up swearing at him and told him that it was none of his business. This angered him even more. Like a raging bull, he took out his knife and began stabbing her.
He ended up stabbing her more than 30 times.
Hearing her mother shout “sakit” (pain), their 10-year-old daughter came running into the room. Jonit stopped stabbing when he saw her. He threw the knife out of the kitchen window and fled the scene.
The shocked girl ran down to inform her sister and aunt about the horrifying episode. Her aunt immediately called the police. Idayu was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital with stab wounds on her face, chest, abdomen and hands. She died from her wounds on 14 August 2016 at about 4.30 am.
Jailed for 10 Years
According to The Straits Times, on 12 July 2018, Mohamad Jonit Adnan was sentenced to 10 years’ jail for murdering his ex-wife.
His daughter, who saw her father killing her mother, still sees shadows and images of a knife. The gruesome murder left her with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. She often cries at night.
We feel sad for this young girl whose childhood has been scarred.
Warren Cann, CEO of Parenting Research Centre once said, “Parents’ relationship creates the emotional climate for a home. When that climate gets stressed and hostile, it affects a child’s development.”
“Not just loud fighting, even prolonged, unspoken anger can cause distress. These lead to emotional and behavioural disorders in children with long-lasting effects.”
Sources: The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia
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