He committed the act after a night of drinking and a quarrel at bus stop
ST report By Khushwant Singh
Tharema (above) and Madam Smaelmeeral's marriage was troubled from the start. The court heard allegations of black magic, spousal violence and adultery.
AN ODD-JOB worker was sentenced to hang on Monday after being found guilty of hurling his wife from the 13th floor of an HDB block to her death two years ago.
Tharema Vejayan Govindasamy, 40, was sentenced to death for the July 1, 2007 murder at the High Court on Monday.
Quashing the defence's position that Tharema's 32-year-old wife could have committed suicide, Justice Tay Yong Kwang said the prosecution had proved sufficiently that Tharema had caused her death by throwing her from the block at Stirling Road, near Queenstown.
During the 34-day trial which started last August, allegations of black magic, spousal violence and adultery surfaced.
Trouble began when Tharema and Madam Smaelmeeral Abdul Aziz, a factory worker, married in 2002. He believed that his sister-in-law, Madam Hametah Abdul Aziz, 42, had placed a spell to wreck the marriage as he did not wish to convert to Islam. His wife's family are Muslims while Tharema is Hindu. Because of the spell, it was said that he would hear voices and a black spot affected the vision of one of his eyes.
He consulted seven bomohs, or black magic practitioners, in Singapore, Batam and Johor but they were unable to get rid of the curse completely as it was 'too strong', Tharema said.
About the time his second child was born in November 2005, their marriage was tearing at the seams. A year later, Madam Smaelmeeral caught him in bed with another woman in their flat in Jurong West. The couple's two young children were sleeping in the same bedroom.
Tharema hit his wife and to escape the violence, Madam Smaelmeeral eventually moved out to stay with a man. He too assaulted her and she went to stay at an uncle's house in Stirling Road.
Although she started divorce proceedings, she confided in friends that she still loved Tharema. At 4am on July 1, 2007, she telephoned Tharema for help as she was tipsy after a night of clubbing. When he did not reply, she called mutual friend Abdul Razak P. Maudu for help. Tharema was celebrating Mr Abdul Razak's birthday at a pub in Orchard Road.
Friends at the party testified that Tharema had been drinking heavily and his speech was slurring when he left to meet his estranged wife.
He said that he became incensed when he found her drinking from a bottle of beer at a bus stop in Stirling Road. He also thought that she was dressed inappropriately, wearing a bare-back top.
They love to drink and get drunk... Beat up their wifes and now a sorry case.
ST report By Khushwant Singh
Tharema (above) and Madam Smaelmeeral's marriage was troubled from the start. The court heard allegations of black magic, spousal violence and adultery.
AN ODD-JOB worker was sentenced to hang on Monday after being found guilty of hurling his wife from the 13th floor of an HDB block to her death two years ago.
Tharema Vejayan Govindasamy, 40, was sentenced to death for the July 1, 2007 murder at the High Court on Monday.
Quashing the defence's position that Tharema's 32-year-old wife could have committed suicide, Justice Tay Yong Kwang said the prosecution had proved sufficiently that Tharema had caused her death by throwing her from the block at Stirling Road, near Queenstown.
During the 34-day trial which started last August, allegations of black magic, spousal violence and adultery surfaced.
Trouble began when Tharema and Madam Smaelmeeral Abdul Aziz, a factory worker, married in 2002. He believed that his sister-in-law, Madam Hametah Abdul Aziz, 42, had placed a spell to wreck the marriage as he did not wish to convert to Islam. His wife's family are Muslims while Tharema is Hindu. Because of the spell, it was said that he would hear voices and a black spot affected the vision of one of his eyes.
He consulted seven bomohs, or black magic practitioners, in Singapore, Batam and Johor but they were unable to get rid of the curse completely as it was 'too strong', Tharema said.
About the time his second child was born in November 2005, their marriage was tearing at the seams. A year later, Madam Smaelmeeral caught him in bed with another woman in their flat in Jurong West. The couple's two young children were sleeping in the same bedroom.
Tharema hit his wife and to escape the violence, Madam Smaelmeeral eventually moved out to stay with a man. He too assaulted her and she went to stay at an uncle's house in Stirling Road.
Although she started divorce proceedings, she confided in friends that she still loved Tharema. At 4am on July 1, 2007, she telephoned Tharema for help as she was tipsy after a night of clubbing. When he did not reply, she called mutual friend Abdul Razak P. Maudu for help. Tharema was celebrating Mr Abdul Razak's birthday at a pub in Orchard Road.
Friends at the party testified that Tharema had been drinking heavily and his speech was slurring when he left to meet his estranged wife.
He said that he became incensed when he found her drinking from a bottle of beer at a bus stop in Stirling Road. He also thought that she was dressed inappropriately, wearing a bare-back top.
They love to drink and get drunk... Beat up their wifes and now a sorry case.
