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| 26-year-old Annie Ee Yu Lian was found dead in her bed on Apr 13, 2015. (Photo: Facebook/Annie Ee Yu Lian) |
Housewife Tan Hui Zhen was sentenced to 16-and-a-half years' jail, while her husband, storeman Pua Hak Chuan, received a sentence of 14 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane.
The couple were convicted on Monday of multiple charges of assaulting 26-year-old Annie Ee Yu Lian over eight months, from August 2014 until her death on Apr 13, 2015.
An autopsy detailed the extent of the abuse she suffered: Twelve fractured ribs and seven fractured vertebrae, a ruptured stomach and a body crowded with blisters and bruises.
In court on Friday, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng called the case "appalling".
"Both the accused have abused the victim in an inhumane and cruel demeanour. They fully abused the victim's trust in them," he said.
The couple also showed an "utter lack of contrition", the judge said.
“The victim was a vulnerable victim and of low intelligence. She trusted them and treated them like family. They abused her trust."
Justice Hoo added that well before Ms Ee's death, she was in a "pitiful state" but in the face of her suffering, Tan and Pua "did not repent".
COUPLE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED, EXPLOITED VICTIM: PROSECUTION
Ms Ee had been “pulverised", Deputy Public Prosecutors April Phang and Claire Poh said. She had been “tortured”, “stripped of her money, her dignity and her will to live”, they told the High Court.
The couple assaulted Ms Ee with their bare hands at first, but graduated to beating her with items including Tan’s bedroom slippers, a plastic belt, a bamboo stick and a plastic dustbin.
But the implement Ms Ee feared most was a large, heavy roll of shrink wrap measuring 51.5cm by 24cm, the court heard.
The couple also subjected her to psychological abuse by intimidating and taunting her, “undermining her sense of self-worth”, the prosecutors said. Ms Ee had attempted to kill herself “as a result of the accused persons’ persistent humiliation", they told the court.
Tan and Pua also financially exploited the victim by forcing her to hand over her entire paycheck of S$1,200 to Tan, who gave her a weekly allowance of S$50, which she later reduced to S$30.
Ms Ee was also made to record made-up sums of money in Tan’s “book of debts” to “compensate” for every time she angered Tan, whom she called “jie jie" (older sister in Mandarin).
“(The couple’s) control and exploitation of Annie was complete,” the prosecutors said.
They had sought 15 years’ jail for Tan and 14 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for Pua, who said he should have “manned up” to his wife and put a stop the horrific abuse.
Instead, he was henpecked into the role of “standby slapper”, and would take over slapping Ms Ee whenever his wife told him to, the court heard.
Originally charged with murder, Tan, 33, qualified for the defence of diminished responsibility because she was suffering from moderate to severe depression and borderline personality disorder at the time of the offences, according to a psychiatric report.
She was convicted of reduced charges of causing grievous hurt with a weapon, as was Tan, who also initially faced a murder charge.
News and photo from Channel News Asia
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