You’ve probably heard of the saying – hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well, that’s exactly what happened in this case. In a fit of rage this Singapore mum stabs husband for cheating and ended up sentenced to six weeks’ jail for voluntarily causing hurt. The sentence was meted out on Monday, October 16.
So what went down?
Administrator Nur Fairuzana Ahmad, 30, was aware that her husband was in love with another woman and was planning on marrying her. However, her anger escalated to a moment of uncontrolled fury when she chanced upon the cheating couple’s declaration of love for each other.
She had been in the bedroom with her husband, Mr Muhammad Yasser Abdul Shukor, when he received an audio message from his lover saying, I love you. He responded by telling his girlfriend that he loved her too.
Predictably this enraged Fairuzana who then snatched his phone away. The couple struggled and Mr Yasser took his phone back and pushed her onto the bed. She left the room and returned shortly, with a knife.
Fairuzana then started shouting at her husband. One thing led to another and she stabbed her husband in his chest and pulled the knife out of his chest. Yasser pounced upon the opportunity and grabbed his wife’s hand, causing her to drop the knife. He then threw the knife out of the window.
The incident took place in April last year.
What happened after that?
Fairuzana was arrested and taken to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric assessment. In her defence, she was proven to be suffering from “adjustment disorder with a recent acute situational reaction”.
She could have been jailed for up to two years and /or fined up to $5000 for causing hurt.
Singapore mum stabs husband and is sentenced to 6 weeks in jail.
The story behind…
The couple have two children. No mum in the right frame of mind would act in such a rash and violent manner. As you might have guessed, there is indeed more to the story. These were some of the points raised by Fairuzana’s lawyer, Vigneesh Nainar, in his mitigation plea.
Fairuzana was just 16 when she had gotten married to Yasser in 2003. In January 2016, her husband broke the devastating news to her – he had a girlfriend whom he had met in the Philippines and he wished to marry her. Expectedly, this caused their relationship to suffer.
Fairuzana was crushed. She became confused and eventually went into depression. But that’s not all. She was a victim of physical and emotional abuse.
Just a year after their marriage, Yasser hit her with a billiard cue and it left her unable to walk for some time. In another incident, he snipped her fringe with the intention of embarrassing her. Their marriage had been turbulent for the most part but things got exceptionally bad in the first quarter of last year.
In spite of the police arriving at their home on numerous occasions, she chose to stay in the marriage and love her husband.
In 2012, Fairuzana obtained a Personal Protection Order (PPO) against him.
The Current Situation
Fairuzana is currently being treated as an outpatient at IMH. Those suffering from her condition have a tendency to develop certain behavioural symptoms in reaction to stressful events. These include anxiety or uncharacteristic behaviour that can be risky.
The couple who have been married for 14 years are currently going through a divorce and Fairuzana will commence serving her sentence next week.
What can we learn from this?
What happened is unfortunate and tragic. When couples get married and start a family, they always wish for their relationship to weather the storms and stand the test of time. However, it’s a harsh truth that in reality, love can go awry and relationships and marriages do fall apart.
Singapore mum stabs husband over his infidelity.
What’s most important however, is managing the situation. This is especially important if there are children involved.
Parents must remember that at the end of the day, the children bear the brunt of the aftermath.
Imagine this scenario. One parent causes grievous hurt to the other and goes to jail. Both parents end up unable to look after the children. They have to be fostered, given up for adoption and possibly siblings have to be split.
As a result of all the logistics, children end up having to relocate and even change schools. Imagine the suffering the poor little ones are subjected to. And all of this is in addition to the crippling trauma of being taken away from their parents and watching their homes getting ripped apart!
What to do when things go downhill
It is natural and acceptable to be devastated when the marriage falls apart. The feelings are more intense when there’s a third party involved. But as adults, and more so as parents, we need to learn how to manage these emotions.
Here are some ways to deal with things if heaven forbid, you ever find yourself in a similar situation:
- Never, I repeat, NEVER, act on impulse. Remove yourself from the situation, calm down, seek help if you must and only act when you are in control of yourself and your emotions. Call a friend immediately if you make a sudden discovery of something and are at a loss of what to do.
- Investigate and find out the entire picture. Don’t make assumptions.
- If the situation is ugly, consider discussing it in a public place, just in case things get out of hand.
- Do not ever tackle the problem in the presence of your kids.
- Reach out to others for help. If necessary, get professional help.
- Don’t stay in a marriage that threatens your safety.
- Investigate your legal rights, even if you plan to stay together.
Singapore mum stabs husband in a fit of rage.
Of course the road to recovery is a long and arduous one and there are many ways to go about it, but we’ll save that for another article. The main message here is how to deal with the immediate situation if things take an unexpected twist in your marriage.
Remember mums and dads, your kids are fragile and vulnerable. They have the most to lose as a result of your battles. Think before you act and don’t stay in a marriage that creates an unsafe or unhealthy environment for you and your children!
Source: The Straits Times, Channel News Asia