A local male taxi driver has been arrested on suspicion of repeatedly assaulting his wife, who is originally from the mainland, and threatening to kill her with a cleaver, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lou Chan Fai said in a special press conference yesterday.
The suspect surnamed Iun is aged 48, while the victim surnamed Liu is a 42-year-old housewife. They married in the mainland in 2018 and live in a flat in the city centre. They have no children.
According to Lou, the suspect has been controlling during their marriage, and he often suspected his wife of having an affair. Since 2019, they have had a raft of verbal arguments and physical altercations.
Lou noted that in June 2020 the victim was attacked by her husband and sustained a head injury. The wife had previously reported domestic violence incidents to the police, but ultimately chose not to press charges as her husband was the breadwinner of the family, and she wanted to maintain a peaceful household.
On Monday night, the victim refused her husband’s request for sex and was accused again of having an affair. Iun then violently slapped her face, and proceeded to retrieve a cleaver from the kitchen and put it against her neck while threatening to kill her, according to Lou.
Lou said that the terrified victim pleaded with Iun who eventually put down the cleaver. The wife then quickly locked herself inside the bathroom and called the police for help. Upon learning that his wife had called the police, Iun immediately left the flat.
The victim, who sustained bruises on her face, was later taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre.
Iun was arrested when he returned to their flat on Monday at 11 a.m. Under questioning, he denied the accusation and refused to cooperate.
Iun was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of domestic violence and use of a prohibited weapon. Lou said that the police have notified the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) to provide shelter for the victim.
The cleaver allegedly used by the suspect to threaten his wife is displayed in a pressroom at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded domestic violence suspect from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle yesterday. – Photos: William Chan
