FORMER investment analyst Russell Tan Rui Leen, 39, has succeeded in his appeal against his sentence of four years' jail and eight strokes of the cane for slashing and stabbing his wife.
Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong on Monday set aside the sentence of caning and reduced the jail term to three years.
Giving his decision, CJ Chan said Tan had committed the offence against a domestic backdrop of prolonged marital conflict and verbal abuse by his wife.
Tan believed the actions of his wife, Ms Jann Goh Hwee Suan, 35, was harmful to the welfare of the children, the various maids whom the couple had employed and himself.
Before the stabbing, Tan had been on the receiving end of derogatory remarks about him in the children's presence as well as numerous police reports she made against him.
This led to the build-up of severe mental stress in Tan, and he lost his self control on the day of the incident in the face of more taunting.
'It is common experience that verbal abuse can be more hurtful and provocative than physical abuse,' said CJ Chan, adding that a deterrent sentence of caning and a long jail term was 'pointless' in a case in which an offence is committed as a result of loss of self control.
On Sept 30, 2007, Tan had grabbed a knife from the kitchen to repeatedly slash and stab his wife. Ms Goh spent 18 days in hospital.
Tan, a former Business Times and Straits Times journalist, pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt in a district court but appealed.
Representing himself during his appeal hearing in March, he spoke for more than half an hour, painting a picture of his wife as an abusive woman who persistently taunted him until he snapped.
