Man jailed, caned for violently abusing wife
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 05 December 2011 1503 hrs
SINGAPORE: A 27-year-old odd job labourer was jailed 15 months and given six strokes of the cane for abusing his wife in their Bedok South flat.
The court heard the couple had an argument over his method of disciplining their two-year-old daughter.
Abdul Haleem Mohamed Nasser slapped his wife and hit her with his elbow, fracturing the 25-year-old woman's ribs.
He also tied her hands and legs with a roll of sticky tape and wires from their kitchen after stripping her naked.
When she shouted, he stuffed cloth in her mouth, and also threatened to leave her naked outside their flat.
Abdul Haleem pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and another count of criminal intimidation.
The couple has another daughter aged four.
In his mitigation, Abdul Haleem's lawyer, Mr Jason Dendroff, disputed that Abdul Haleem stripped his wife.
He said she was already naked and appeared to be in "some kind of drunken stupor".
He said Abdul Haleem had asked his wife to put on her clothes, but chose to restrain her when he saw that she was going to leave the bedroom naked.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Ashraf Hassan said Abdul Haleem had a string of previous convictions including underage sex and robbery.
In his sentencing, District Judge Roy Neighbour agreed with an Institute of Mental Health medical report that Abdul Haleem did not suffer from schizophrenia or amnesia at the time of the offence.
- CNA/cc
