Man arrested for threatening to burn wife over affair

[General Veers]

Man arrested for threatening to burn wife over affair

Published on Feb 3, 2012
By Khushwant Singh

He suspected his wife went to Thailand with her lover and wanted to scare her into stopping the affair.

Tan Boon Seah's plan backfired. She is now missing and he has been dragged to court for threatening to burn her.

He pleaded guilty on Friday to committing criminal intimidation. He will be sentenced on Feb 17.

A district court heard that his wife, Madam Halimah, left for Thailand with their two children on Dec 15, 2011.

On the same day, Tan went to a nearby petrol station and bought a litre of petrol that was poured into a 1.5-litre plastic bottle. At home, the coffee-shop assistant then placed it in the kitchen.

His family returned from Bangkok on the evening of Dec 18, 2011. Tan got home from work at 6.30pm and immediately confronted his wife over her extra-marital affair.

He slapped her face twice and snatched her cellphone. Brandishing the bottle of petrol, he told her in Malay: 'Today, you will burn or be chopped up.'

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

[General Veers]

Man threatens to burn wife over affair

Lina Chan

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; ">Wife’s lover told him, ‘You are no good in bed’.</cite>
A man has pleaded guilty to threatening to burn and chop up his wife. Tan Boon Seah had supposedly done so in an attempt to scare her out of her extra-marital affair.

According to The Straits Times, Tan had suspected that his wife was secretly meeting her lover when she was in Thailand with the children on 15 December last year. While the family was away, Tan, a coffeeshop assistant, bought petrol from a nearby petrol kiosk and transferred it into a 1.5-litre plastic bottle, then left it the kitchen.

The family returned in the evening of 18 December, and Tan had heard his daughter mention that an "uncle" had accompanied them during their trip in Bangkok. Tan confronted his wife, slapping her twice on her face and snatching away her mobile phone. He also threatened her in Malay "Today, you will burned or be chopped up".

His 11-year-old son called the police and Tan was arrested. In Tan's defence, his lawyer told the court that Tan had snatched his wife's phone and made a call to her supposed lover, asking for him not break up his family. The man had taunted Tan, telling him, 'Come and find me in Nee Soon. Your wife is not happy with you because you are no good in bed.'

Tan's wife was also said to be having extra-marital affair since the start of last year, and was told to leave the house. However, she had begged Tan for forgiveness and he gave in for the sake of the two children. Despite this, his wife did not repent and continued a relationship with the other man.

Tan will be sentenced on 17 February.