A 40-year-old woman has been sentenced to seven months jail on Thursday, 28 November 2019, for causing voluntary hurt to an 18-year-old teenager—whom she suspected had an affair with her husband.
According to media reports, the woman identified as Chen Xiaqin tried stabbing the teenager with a beer bottle during her birthday dinner in May last year.
The attack
Chen, along with her husband and his employees went to celebrate her birthday at the Hook On Steamboat restaurant in Geylang. Shortly after, the couple started arguing and Chen's husband left the restaurant while she drank some bottles of beer.
At around 7.30 pm, Chen approached the teenager, who was sitting on another table, from behind and started pulling her hair. She then used a glass beer bottle to hit the back of her head. But the bottle shattered and the two women began struggling.
Chen tried stabbing the teenager with the broken bottle but the latter managed to block the attack with her forearm.
The other colleagues finally intervened and separated the two women. One of them also called the police saying a person was bleeding.
The teenager was subsequently taken to the hospital where she was treated for the lacerations on her forearm and scalp.
Abusive husband
Before the sentencing, Chen told the court that her husband allegedly scolded and hit her "for a long period of time".
The abuse got so bad that she had to spend two days in the hospital after the attack.
Chen also added that her husband had "chased" her and their three-year-old child out of their home which made her send her son back to China to be taken care of by her mother.
Chen reacted due to "fear and anger"
Chen's defence lawyer Dhanwant Singh stated that she had reacted due to "fear and anger" and it was not a planned attack.
"The assault was a spur-of-the-moment reaction caused by her husband's suspicious conduct and an abrupt disappearance from the scene, but not before making sign language of endearment to the very female he is alleged to have an affair with."
Mr. Singh added that Chen is suffering from depression and adjustment disorder which might have further impaired her reaction to the situation.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap said the attack was serious and the teenager has sustained permanent scars from the attack.
“The accused was intoxicated. It was an unprovoked attack — she hit (the victim) from behind where she could not have seen or anticipated anything… There was a degree of persistence in wanting to hurt the victim."
For voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, Chen could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined or both.