Singaporean jailed for abusing Vietnamese wife

Seah Kian Beng, 47, was sentenced to two months and four weeks in prison after he admitted to punching, slapping and choking his wife Truong Bich Hue, a 48-year-old Vietnamese citizen living in Singapore on a Long-Term Dependant's Pass, Channel News Asia reported Tuesday.

According to prosecutors, Seah's abuse of his wife of about four years began in October 2016 when he returned home one night and started shouting at and scolding Hue for no apparent reason before proceeding to punch and choke her to prevent her from calling the police.

Seah then brandished a penknife and threatened to kill Hue after she was released from his stranglehold and locked him out of the room. Hue lodged a police report later that night.

The abuses also continued in April and May this year with Seah pushing, slapping and pulling Hue's hair during arguments or while he was drunk, prompting Hue to call the police again.

At the trial on Tuesday, Seah pleaded guilty to eight charges, including offences under the Women's Charter and charges of voluntarily causing hurt, with another eight charges taken into consideration.

He asked for leniency, claimed his abuse of Hue was due to him being under a lot of stress at work as he had to service a monthly loan with very high interest, which placed a heavy financial burden on him and putting his flat at risk of being repossessed.

The judge however agreed with prosecutors' proposed jail term, claiming that while "life stressors" might have affected Seah's family, adding alcohol and violence to the family's life was unacceptable and the court needed to protect Hue from his violent behavior.