The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local man yesterday for punching his wife and also burning her on the calf with a lit cigarette, PJ spokesman Lai Man Vai said during a special press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday.
Lai identified the suspect as a 49-year-old surnamed Iau, who works as a coach driver, and the victim as his 35-year-old local wife. According to Lai, the two got married six years ago, have a 4-year-old daughter and live with Iau’s 17-year-old son in a flat in Iao Hon.
Lai said that at 1 a.m. on Monday, the couple were having a quarrel over some minor issues, and later the victim demanded a divorce, to which Iau agreed. The suspect then became agitated and punched his wife before he grabbed a cleaver from the kitchen and threatened his wife with it. Later, Iau burnt the victim on the calf with a lit cigarette.
The victim was in shock but didn’t leave the home immediately, Lai said, adding that she asked relatives for help later that morning, who in turn reported the incident to the police.
Police officers arrived at the flat and took the suspect and the victim to a Judiciary Police station for questioning, according to Lai.
The suspect was arrested and transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further investigation yesterday, facing a charge of domestic violence.
According to information provided by the Judiciary Police yesterday, the case was the 19th domestic violence case recorded by the police since the Law on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence came into force in October 2016. Nine of those cases were recorded in 2016, and eight in 2017.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the suspect to a police vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
This photo shows the cleaver and the cigarette end that the suspect used to threaten and wound his wife, displayed at a PJ pressroom yesterday.
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