A 46-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to six months and four weeks’ jail, along with a fine of S$7,500 for a series of offences related to his treatment of his wife.
The man pleaded guilty on Monday (April 29), to distributing a voyeuristic image of his wife without her consent, breaching a personal protection order, and voluntarily causing hurt to his wife. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of drink-driving on a separate occasion.
According to the report, the court heard that the man physically abused his wife after a night of drinking with friends, hitting her and causing her to call the police. This incident occurred while the wife was under a personal protection order issued by the court.
LABELLED WIFE AS “PROSTITUTE”
The husband was out drinking with his friends on the evening of June 1 last year, before returning home smelling of alcohol and getting into a heated argument with his 41-year-old wife, during which he struck her.
Following the altercation, the wife called the police around 2.45am, leading to two officers arriving at their home. As they were leaving at approximately 3.30am, the husband forcefully closed the door and slapped his wife on her right arm, prompting her to cry out. This action resulted in his immediate arrest by the police, the report added.
This incident transpired while the wife was under a personal protection order granted by the court on March 10 the previous year against her husband, without details provided on the reason for the order.
Several months after the drunken assault, the wife’s elder brother and sister-in-law contacted her on September 15 to reveal that her husband had sent her brother several photos, including one in which she was topless.
The husband accompanied these photos with derogatory remarks, labeling the wife as a ‘pig’s child’, ‘prostitute‘, and alleging that she came from a ‘characterless family’. These hurtful actions left the wife feeling embarrassed, degraded, and harassed, particularly with her face visible in the topless photo.
According to report, DPP said “The photographs were accompanied by messages from the accused stating that the victim was a ‘pig’s child’, ‘a prostitute’, and that she came from a ‘characterless family’.
“The victim felt humiliated, degraded and harassed. Her face was visible in the photograph showing her with her breasts exposed.”
The topless picture had been captured during a video call between the couple a month before. Although the wife had agreed to expose her chest during the call, she had not consented to her husband taking a screenshot or distributing the image without her permission.
Finally, on November 25 last year, the husband was apprehended around 2.15am for driving a van while intoxicated, following a night of drinking with friends during which he consumed three to four glasses of whiskey.
Subsequent breathalyser testing revealed his breath alcohol content to be 87 micrograms per 100 millilitres, significantly surpassing the legal limit of 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres.
For his actions, the man could have faced much harsher penalties, including a longer jail term or higher fines. The penalties for his offences could have resulted in a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or a combination of both.
The distribution of voyeuristic images or recordings could have resulted in a longer jail term, a fine, caning, or a combination of these punishments. Breaching a personal protection order could have led to a fine or up to six months in jail, or both.
For drink-driving, the penalties include a fine of between S$2,000 and S$10,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, and disqualification from driving.
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The man’s actions have been condemned by the court, and he has been handed a significant sentence for his offences.
