A petition by the people could have played a role in the harsher sentence than was sought by the prosecution for the woman who made her intellectually-disabled friend live through eight months of daily hell.
- Petition demanding for heavier punishment received 20,000 signatures
- A case described by the judge as “monstrous cruelty”
- Victim was forced to give up salary of S$1,200 for a S$30 allowance.
- Suffered 12 fractured ribs, 7 fractured vertebrae, a ruptured stomach, bruises, blisters through 8 months of daily torture
Convicted earlier in the week, housewife Tan Hui Zhen and her husband Pua Hak Chuan were sentenced to 16.5 years and 14 years in jail, respectively, on Dec 1.
Pua was also ordered to be given 14 strokes of the cane.
Prosecutors were earlier reported to have sought 15- and 14-year jail terms for Tan and Pua. This sparked an outrage among Singaporeans who felt that it was too lenient a punishment for the crimes the couple committed.
As a result, a petition demanding for a harsher sentence was started by netizen Neo Chuan Yi who felt that the culprits deserved a harsher punishment.
It is not known whether the petition, which had about 20,000 signatures and was to be delivered to the Attorney General Chambers, had played a part in the heavier sentence for Tan.
In what was described as “monstrous cruelty”, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng referred to the eight months of physical and psychological torture of waitress Annie Ee Yu Lian as “appalling”.
Ee was assaulted with a variety of objects, including bedroom slippers, a plastic belt, a dustbin, a bamboo stick and a roll of shrink wrap until she finally succumbed to the abuse.
Her sense of self-worth had also been constantly undermined via intimidation and taunting.
In addition, she was forced to give up her monthly salary of S$1,200 for a paltry S$50 allowance which was later reduced to S$30.
Ee had attempted suicide as she believed she hadn’t lived up to Tan’s expectations.
At the time of her death, her battered body bore a grisly collection of injuries, including 12 fractured ribs, seven fractured vertebrae, a ruptured stomach and an assortment of bruises and blisters.
Earlier report: Nov 28, Couple Pleads Guilty to Torturing Friend Who Died After 8 Months