Spurned man admits to attempting to murder lover who ended their extramarital affair

SINGAPORE: A pair of lovers who reconnected more than a decade after ending their first relationship began an extramarital affair. 

But after the 43-year-old woman ended the affair, her spurned lover Chong Shiong Hui attacked her with a knife and chopper, leaving the woman permanently scarred. 

Chong pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder on Thursday (Nov 28). Another two charges of mischief – related to acts he did before the offence – will be taken into consideration for his sentencing. 

The prosecution sought 16 to 18 years’ jail and five or six strokes of the cane, while his lawyer, Joyce Khoo, argued for around 10 years’ jail along with five strokes of the cane. 

RECONNECTED AFTER 15 YEARS

The court heard that Chong met Joey Lee around 20 years ago. They dated briefly but broke up within a year in 2002. 

In August 2017, the couple reconnected. By then, both were already married. 

The victim’s husband eventually discovered the affair in November 2018. 

In November 2019, the victim decided to end the affair. She sent Chong a message on Nov 28, 2019, to say that she “wanted to take a break from their relationship”, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Chong told the court. 

Over the next two days, Chong repeatedly threatened to hurt the victim, her then-six-year-old daughter, her husband, or himself. 

After a night of drinking with his wife on Nov 29, Chong continued sending messages to intimidate the victim, threatening to make her “a widow”. He went to bed after taking medication meant to help him sleep.  

The next day, after a call to the victim went unanswered, Chong went to her house after 4am, bringing along a chopper. He also brought two tins of petrol, cigarettes and a lighter. 

When he reached the victim’s block, he deflated the tyres of her husband’s cars as he did not want the husband to follow him later on. He continued sipping from a bottle of cognac mixed with water throughout. 

He later switched off the main switch to the victim’s unit. The victim’s domestic helper saw Chong outside the unit after noticing that her fan had stopped working. 

When no one responded, Chong returned to his car and fell asleep. 

At about 7am, he returned and called for the victim and her husband but still did not manage to speak to the victim. He continued sending her harassing messages, even sending a photo of the petrol and the chopper. 

The victim then told Chong not to threaten her and arranged to meet him at his parents’ house. 

“She did not take the accused’s threats seriously and intended to tell the accused’s parents about their affair and ask his parents to control the accused. The accused asked her to meet at his parents’ house if that was what she wanted,” the prosecution said. 

THE ASSAULT

At around 1pm on Nov 30, 2019, Chong went to his parents’ house in the Toh Tuck area to wait for the victim. He brought with him a fruit knife, along with the chopper and petrol in the car. He also retrieved a knife from his parents’ kitchen, and placed it on a table with the chopper. 

When the victim arrived alone at 1.25pm, she wanted to speak to Chong outside the front gate but Chong pulled her in and the gate automatically locked. Chong was wearing a glove on his right hand to get a better grip on his weapon. 

Pointing the chopper at the victim, Chong argued with the woman before slashing her on the forearm, while commenting that the chopper was blunt. 

The two continued to argue about why they had to end the relationship. 

At some point, the woman managed to run to the garden area. But Chong caught up, grabbed her by the neck and demanded to know whether the victim “ever loved him”. She replied yes, according to the prosecution.

“The accused told her ‘let’s die together’ in Mandarin, prompting the victim to say that she did not want to die with him,” the prosecution said. 

Chong tried to slash the woman and ended up hurting her back and the back of her head. A neighbour heard the victim’s screams and saw the victim defending herself with a flowerpot. 

During the attack, Chong also picked up a handsaw with a 45.5cm blade he spotted in the car porch, intending to attack the victim with it. But he gave up after finding it too unwieldy. 

At this point, Chong’s parents returned home and the victim seized the chance to flee through the open gate.

However, the assault continued. Chong slashed her on her back, and when the victim fell, he stamped on her, including on her head and back.

He only stopped when his 72-year-old mother caught up with him.

When police arrived at 1.39pm, the victim was covered in blood and accompanied by Chong’s mother. Chong identified himself as the assailant and was arrested. 

VICTIM PERMANENTLY SCARRED

The victim suffered lacerations to her right ear, scalp, pelvis, forearms, and around her eye. She had a stab wound to her right chest and slash wound over her back, as well as fractures to her skull. 

She was given two months of hospitalisation leave and suffered permanent disfigurement in the form of scars and scalp alopecia – hair loss – due to the lacerations on her scalp, ear, neck and around her eye. 

“(The victim) has many scars on her back, arms and hand and has to wear long-sleeved tops or a jacket all the time, causing inconvenience in her client-facing job as a manager,” said the prosecution. Her medical expenses amounted to over S$24,000 (US$17,900).

He added that the victim has many flashbacks of the assault, which disturb her sleep. Worried about the possibility of Chong taking revenge, the family moved house. 

Chong did not have substance use disorders and was not of unsound mind, the prosecution noted. 
 
In sentencing arguments, the prosecution noted that the offence was highly premeditated. 

“The accused lured the victim to his parents’ house, laid out the weapons in anticipation of her arrival, and closed the gates behind the victim to create a death-trap. 

“He even resolved to get a better grip on the handles of the kitchen knife and the chopper by wearing a glove.”

Mitigating for Chong, Ms Khoo said that her client had been driven by an “intense emotion of betrayal”. 

On the victim’s worries about revenge, Ms Khoo said that Chong has “fully accepted” that his relationship with her was over. 

“He is committed to focusing on his own family to make up for the lost time and we … submit that our client no longer poses any threat to the victim in this case,” she said. 

“This man before your honour today is deeply remorseful for this action … he is ashamed for disappointing his family and knows he must pay he price for his actions.”

The lawyer added that Chong has not seen his son since the day of the offence, when the boy was only eight years old. 

“Five years on, our client’s son barely has any memory of our client, if at all,” she said. She added that Chong’s wife remains supportive of him. 

Chong’s wife and sister were present in court for the hearing. 

Justice Aidan Xu @ Aedit Abdullah reserved his judgment and is expected to pass the sentence on Dec 6.