SINGAPORE: A married father of three admitted on Thursday (Jan 23) to the attempted murder of his former lover’s new boyfriend.
Ong Eng Siew, now 63, attacked Mr Ku Teck Eng with a knife at the void deck of Block 407, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3, which was the home of Ong’s former lover.
This happened at around 9.30pm on Jun 12, 2021.
Mr Ku, then 52, was stabbed in the chest, causing a laceration on the left ventricle of his heart that would have been fatal if not for emergency treatment.
Ong pleaded guilty to one charge of attempted murder.
Three charges – two for hurting his 42-year-old former lover around Jun 1, 2021 and one for obstructing justice by throwing away the knife – will be considered for sentencing.
Ong had been in a relationship with his lover since November 2019, according to Deputy Public Prosecutors Terence Chua and Kathy Chu.
She learnt that he was married in September 2020. When she confronted Ong, he lied that he was separated and would be ending his marriage.
Ong, a driver, started drinking excessively and gambling in January 2021, and would spend most of his salary on horse betting.
He and his lover quarrelled frequently as she was unhappy about his behaviour and the fact that he had stopped working.
She said she did not want to continue their relationship if he continued living this way.
On Apr 25, 2021, the woman ended the relationship as Ong continued to gamble, hardly met up with her, and forgot her birthday the day before.
HARASSED AND ASSAULTED HIS FORMER LOVER
After breaking up, the woman started dating Mr Ku. However, Ong continued to pester her with text messages and calls, and also looked for her on a few occasions.
At one meeting he requested on May 28, 2021, he shouted at her in Mandarin: “Do you believe that I can treat you not as a woman and beat you, take a knife and stab you? Do not force me to do it.”
He then laughed it off as a joke and accompanied her home in a taxi.
On another occasion, also at his request, they met after midnight on Jun 1, 2021, and talked while sitting in his van parked near her home.
Ong said to tell him if she had a new boyfriend and he would let her go. When told that she was in a new relationship, Ong became extremely upset and they argued. He said: “Which block is the highest here? I want to die with you. I want to push you down and then I will jump.”
The woman tried to leave the van, but Ong locked the door. She managed to unlock it and get out, but he pulled her back and slammed her head against the van.
Ong then pushed her into the passenger seat and started driving around the area.
Ong asked her to call her boyfriend. When she tried to call the police instead, Ong snatched her phone, punched her and pulled her hair.
When Ong eventually stopped the van, the woman was able to escape from the van and vomited.
She was afraid of Ong and made a police report against him after consulting her godbrother. Her godbrother also called Ong to scold him for his behaviour.
On Jun 5, 2021, a week before the attempted murder, Ong sent his former lover a photo of a knife.
He texted her that he would bring this knife with him, that he did now know who she had asked to “deal with” him, and that “the first person I want to stab” was her godbrother.
Ong also said he would wait for her until he died, that he would “snatch back” what had been stolen from him, that she and her boyfriend would not be happy and that she would regret her actions.
When she blocked him on WhatsApp, he sent her emails saying he would let her go and not bother her. The woman was assured by this and unblocked him.
However, the cycle repeated and Ong continued to pester her. He scolded her for reporting him to the police, and said he was prepared to go to prison for two to three years.
STABBED AND SLASHED HER BOYFRIEND
On Jun 12, 2021, Ong drank beer from noon to 8pm. He went to the void deck of his former lover’s home at around 8.30pm.
He brought along a 12cm knife, which he had placed in a plastic bag with some cans of beer. He sat and waited at the void deck.
At about 9.25pm, the woman and Mr Ku arrived and saw Ong. She told Mr Ku that Ong was her ex-boyfriend.
Ong approached Mr Ku and asked if he was the woman’s boyfriend, to which Mr Ku said yes.
Ong then asked how long they had known each other, and whether Mr Ku knew that she was “(his) woman”.
Mr Ku said he had known the woman for two months, and that they had only got together after Ong and the woman had broken up.
Ong then went to his plastic bag and asked Mr Ku if he wanted to drink beer. Mr Ku declined.
Ong took his knife from the bag and approached Mr Ku while holding the weapon behind his back. The woman saw this and warned her boyfriend to be careful.
Ong then shouted that the couple had lied and punched Mr Ku’s stomach, saying: “I will make sure you die.”
He slashed Mr Ku on the back of his shoulder and a scuffle ensued.
Mr Ku backed away, tripped over a kerb and fell onto a grass patch. Ong punched his stomach several times.
Ong then stabbed the left side of Mr Ku’s chest, and blood spurted out. He also slashed Mr Ku’s stomach.
When the woman ran over and pulled Ong’s shirt to stop him, he pushed her, causing her to fall into a drain, and punched her shoulder.
Mr Ku managed to escape to a nearby provision shop. Residents in the next block shouted at Ong and called the police, and he fled.
Ong left the woman voice messages asking her and Mr Ku not to call the police, saying that it was her fault, and saying that Mr Ku should settle the matter with him “if he is a man”.
The police arrested Ong near his home and took around an hour to locate the knife, which he had thrown away in a drain.
Mr Ku was taken to the hospital in an unstable condition, and received emergency surgery. He was admitted to the intensive care unit.
He underwent another surgery two days later and was hospitalised for nine days.
According to the Health Sciences Authority, Mr Ku’s chest stab wound could have been fatal because of blood building up in the sac around the heart.
The stab wound at Mr Ku’s stomach also caused part of his bowel to protrude out and tears on the bowel that could have led to infection and possibly death.
Ong admitted to the offences and was convicted. However, he disputes the role that his mental state played in the commission of the acts, which is relevant for his sentencing.
Ong was diagnosed with adjustment disorder due to his break-up and social problems around the time of the offences.
However, a psychiatrist from the Institute of Mental Health found that there was no contributory link to the offences, according to the prosecution.
The prosecution’s position is that Ong’s actions were driven by jealousy, anger and a lack of inhibition caused by alcohol consumption.
Ong’s defence team, comprising lawyers Mr Eugene Thuraisingam and Mr Ng Yuan Siang, take the position that his adjustment disorder was a major contributing factor to the offences.
The defence’s psychiatrist said stressors in Ong’s life at the time included the death of his brother in April 2021, the end of his relationship with his lover, and financial difficulties from his employer not paying his salary.
An ancillary hearing was held on Thursday for the prosecution’s and defence’s psychiatrists to provide evidence on Ong’s mental condition.
For attempted murder, Ong could be jailed for life, or for up to 20 years with a fine. He cannot be caned as he is over 50.
