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Woman on trial over alleged fatal attack on 51-year-old boyfriend outside Ang Mo Kio flat in 2021
According to a witness - an ex-tenant of the deceased - the victim told him that he wanted to break up with the woman but whenever he brought it up, she would demand a "fee" of between S$5,000 and S$10,000.
A view of the Supreme Court in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
Vanessa Lim
08 Apr 2025 03:26PM (Updated: 08 Apr 2025 05:23PM)
SINGAPORE: The trial of a woman accused of killing a 51-year-old man during a dispute nearly four years ago opened on Tuesday (Apr 8) at the High Court.
Nguyen Ngoc Giau, 43, is charged with murdering Mr Cho Wang Keung, 51, along the fifth-storey common corridor of Blk 562 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 on Jul 15, 2021.
The petite woman, with shoulder-length hair and bangs, initially appeared expressionless as her charges were read out to her, but started crying uncontrollably when video footage showing the deceased was played in court.
WHAT HAPPENED
The deceased, a jewellery assembler, owned the three-room HDB flat at Blk 562 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3. He stayed in one of the rooms and rented out the other rooms for income. One of the bedrooms was rented out to a man named Tan Cheng Mun.Sometime in July 2020, Nguyen, a Vietnamese national and Singapore permanent resident, moved into the flat as a tenant and initially slept in the living room.
The pair became romantically involved and began sharing a bedroom around October 2020.
The court heard that between Jul 12 and 13, 2021, Nguyen and Mr Cho had a falling out as he wanted to break up with her and evict her.
Between 12.20pm on Jul 14, 2021 and 12.48am the next day, she consumed a number of cans of beer and also repeatedly made calls to Mr Cho, but they were not answered.
The prosecution’s case is that at one point, she had sharpened a knife she retrieved from the kitchen.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Mr Cho and Mr Tan returned to the common corridor outside the flat on Jul 15, 2021, at about 12.50am.
Two minutes later, there was a confrontation between Mr Cho and Nguyen. During the confrontation, Mr Tan called the police.
The prosecution said Nguyen then allegedly went back into the flat to retrieve the knife that she had sharpened earlier that day and attacked Mr Cho with it.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Teong said that when she noticed that Mr Tan was taking photographs of her assaulting Mr Cho, Nguyen turned her attention towards him, and he fled down the stairs.
According to the agreed statement of facts, when the police arrived at about 1.03am, they found the accused and deceased in a pool of blood along the common corridor outside the flat. Paramedics arrived at 1.08am and 1.18am respectively.
Nguyen was unresponsive and groaning in pain whilst Mr Cho was responsive. Both were conveyed in separate ambulances to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Despite receiving medical attention, Mr Cho succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 7.17am.
A forensic pathologist from the Health Sciences Authority who performed an autopsy on Mr Cho certified the cause of death to be stab wounds to the neck, chest and back.
A report by the Institute of Mental Health on Aug 16, 2021, said that Nguyen “clearly” has an alcohol use disorder and was likely in “a state of acute alcohol intoxication” at the material time.
TRIAL BEGINS
At the opening of the trial, the prosecution said it will rely on agreed statement of facts and lead evidence from 65 witnesses through their conditioned statements.It will also rely on nine statements from the accused as well as video footage, including those extracted from the accused’s mobile phone which she recorded.
On Tuesday, the court heard testimonies from a former neighbour, who lived in the unit opposite the couple, as well as Mr Tan.
According to Mr Tan's statement - which was read out by the prosecution - he had known the deceased for almost four years and moved into Mr Cho’s flat in March 2020.
He said that the accused moved in as a tenant sometime in July 2020 and subsequently became Mr Cho’s girlfriend and began sharing a room with him.
Sometime around August 2020, Mr Tan noticed that Nguyen started to be suspicious of Mr Cho having relationships with other girls whenever she drank alcohol.
She would check his phone and get into arguments with the deceased, he said, adding that she would hit him as well.
On Jul 14, 2021, while having drinks with Mr Cho at a coffeeshop in Bishan, Mr Tan, said in his statement, that the deceased told him that he wanted to break up with the accused but whenever he brought it up, she would demand a “break-up fee” of between S$5,000 and S$10,000.
When they returned after midnight, he said that Nguyen started questioning Mr Cho about his whereabouts and where he had been drinking.
Video footage taken by Nguyen was played in court, showing Mr Cho and Mr Tan standing near the lift as she asked Mr Cho where he had been drinking.
As the video played in court, Nguyen – who was sitting in the dock – started crying uncontrollably, prompting High Court judge Dedar Singh Gill to call for a short break so that she could compose herself.
Mr Tan later told the court that he had made a call to the police station as Mr Cho asked him to because the accused was “creating trouble”.
During the defence’s cross-examination of Mr Tan, Mr Tan said that he knew that Mr Cho was married to another Vietnamese woman when he moved into the flat in March 2020. It was not mentioned whether he was still married to her at the time of his death.
Mr Tan said that when he moved into the flat, the woman and her daughter had already been living in Mr Cho’s flat but they moved out in June 2020 - a month before Nguyen moved in.
According to Mr Tan, Mr Cho and his wife had arguments about the child while they were living together and the police had been called to the unit.
When Nguyen moved into the flat, Mr Tan – who was sleeping in the room directly opposite the room they were sharing – said they would argue in their bedroom, adding that they would argue at least twice a week and that it would usually start after they drank alcohol.
There were also occasions where arguments would escalate into fights, according to Mr Tan.
About two to three months before Mr Cho died, Mr Tan said the couple fought at the void deck of their flat and that both were arrested by the police. He added that he was aware that Mr Cho was under investigation for affray.
Nguyen’s trial continues.
If convicted, she will face either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
