SINGAPORE: A man who violently assaulted his wife and then raped her was jailed for 14 years, three months and eight weeks on Tuesday (Mar 4) at the High Court.
The man, who was also sentenced to 12 strokes of the cane, and his wife cannot be named to protect the latter’s identity.
Both are foreigners but their nationalities, ages, occupations and the location of the incident were redacted in court documents. They have been married for more than 15 years and have children.
The case is among the first few to have been prosecuted in court since marital immunity for rape was fully repealed in 2020.
The man initially claimed trial but decided to plead guilty on the second day – after the victim had given her testimony to the court.
He was convicted on charges of voluntarily causing hurt, molest, and rape, with six others taken into consideration for his sentencing.
According to the prosecution, the couple commuted to Singapore daily for work before the pandemic.
The woman moved to Singapore in August 2020 and stayed in a flat provided by her employer, with her husband staying elsewhere.
On Nov 8, 2020, the accused wanted to meet his wife to pass her a gift for her birthday.
She declined but met him when he showed up at the void deck of her flat. Both ended up quarrelling as the victim rejected his present.
The accused snatched the victim’s phone, and then slapped and hit the victim on her head.
They both entered a lift and the accused continued his assault on the victim. At the lift lobby, the victim met her supervisor, who advised her to follow her husband and “resolve their dispute amicably”, according to court documents. She heeded the advice despite her misgivings.
The husband fetched her to his accommodation on his motorcycle and they arrived shortly before 1pm.
While there, the couple continued to argue. The accused slapped the victim twice, causing her to fall and hit her mouth on the floor. He then removed some of her clothing.
Taking a metal rod from behind a sofa, he brandished it at the victim and threatened to hit her “to death”.
Fearful, the victim said she would do whatever he said and removed the rest of her clothing at the accused’s instruction. He then raped her with the intention to impregnate her.
The accused only brought his wife back to her home at about 6.48am on Nov 9, 2020.
The victim subsequently told her flatmate to call the police. The police arrived shortly after and called for an ambulance.
The victim was examined at a hospital and found to have swollen and red cheeks, eyes and knees. In addition to bruising around her eyes, she had a chipped front tooth, and bite marks all over her neck.
The prosecution argued for 13 to 14 years’ jail for the accused with 12 strokes of the cane.
“Marriage is a union built on mutual trust and confidence between spouses. In this case, that trust was not merely broken – it was violently shattered,” said Deputy Public Prosecutors Alan Loh and Emily Koh.
“The accused’s actions were not just a betrayal of marital vows; they were a grave violation of the law.”
The prosecution urged the court to send a clear message that marriage did not grant immunity from the law.
“Consent is a right – not a privilege that can be revoked by matrimony,” they said.
They referred to the victim’s injuries as aggravating factors.
Due to the injury to her knees, the victim could not walk properly for about three days and could not work. Her broken tooth would hurt when she drank something cold and was visible to people when she smiled. The victim had to save up funds for her broken tooth to be fixed at a private clinic.
Apart from the physical abuse, the emotional abuse left the victim traumatised.
She stated in her victim impact statement that she remained fearful for some time and had many sleepless nights.
She also cried daily for two months after the incident, and only overcame her fear only about eight months after the incident.
