A Singapore doctor is currently facing trial in court for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend at his Redhill HDB flat in August 2017.
According to media reports, 35-year-old Clarence Teo Shun Jie repeatedly punched and hit his ex-girlfriend Rachel Lim En Hui after she refused to have sex with him. On Tuesday 5 November, however, Teo took the stand in his own defence and claimed that he had severe alcoholism at the time could not remember what happened.
The night of the attack
After a night of karaoke and drinks, the then-couple headed back to Teo’s house late at night. Things took a dark turn after Lim refused to have sex which led to Teo forcing her back into the room when she tried to leave and locking the door of his bedroom.
Soon after he captured her in his room, Teo brutally assaulted Lim by repeatedly punching her face and hitting her head violently against the wall.
Hearing all the commotion, Clarence’s father called the police at around 4 am in the morning.
Upon reaching the flat, an officer found Lim sobbing in a corner of the room with a heavily bruised and swollen face and Teo lying on the bed.
Teo was immediately arrested while Lim was taken to the hospital where she spent 21 days recovering from the assault that caused her multiple facial fractures.
Doctor claims he can’t recall the attack
During his trial, Teo told the court that he only remembers getting arrested and waking up in his cell at the Police Cantonment Complex the next day.
Beyond that, he claimed he “really could not remember anything”.
The couple’s psychological issues
Teo, who is out on bail of $15,000, attributed the loss of memory and the attack to his alcoholism issue which often leaves him unconscious after drinking.
He said he was sacked from his job at Gleneagles Hospital after he showed up to work drunk.
Apart from that, Teo also added that he may have borderline personality disorder and anger management problems.
However, he did not get a diagnosis as he feared it might put his job at risk.
Lim, on the other hand, was also known to be bipolar and suicidal. Teo claimed that a few months before the attack, Lim attempted suicide.
If convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Teo could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned. Trial continues.
