A 30-year-old Indian-origin man in Singapore on Tuesday sentenced to seven years in prison for stabbing his pregnant wife using a knife with a 10-cm long blade, according to a media report.
Jayselan N Chandrasegar stabbed his 27-year-old wife Mayuri Krishnakumar twice in her abdomen and twice on her lower back, causing her to suffer puncture wounds on December 30 last year.
He also slashed her back before fleeing the scene. Mayuri was taken to hospital and discharged after a few days.
"The court heard that the unborn baby was not harmed in the attack. Chandrasegar was sentenced to seven years' jail with six strokes of the cane," 'The Straits Times' reported.
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He pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt to the woman with a weapon, and one count of failing to provide his urine sample after he was caught for suspected drug-related offence, it said.
According to the report, Chandrasegar flew into a rage after he spotted his pregnant wife, who used to be a sex worker, talking to a man he assumed was a pimp.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Houston Johannus said the couple were married in 2013. However, their marriage soured in October last year because of frequent quarrels over money and their three-year old child.
"The accused was also made aware that the victim's ex-boyfriend was trying to reconnect with her," Johannus told District Judge Ng Peng Hong.
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"This caused the accused to become overly possessive and distrustful of the victim. He then banned the victim from going out of the house," Johannus said.
When Mayuri told Chandrasegar that she was pregnant, he refused to believe that the child was his and accused her of infidelity, the report said.
Unable to tolerate his aggression and verbal abuse, she ran away from their home in Decemeber last year and sought refuge with her old friends, who were mainly sex workers, it said.
Before this incident, police officers caught Chandrasegar for suspected drug-related offences, the court heard.
The defence lawyer pleaded for a jail term of five and a half years for Chandrasegar. He said Mayuri had forgiven his husband and the couple were still married to each other.
(PTI)
