A 10-year-old girl rushed into her mother's bedroom after hearing screams, only to witness the gruesome sight of her father repeatedly stabbing the woman.

The horrifying episode left her with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including seeing shadows and images of a knife. She would also cry at night, the High Court heard.

Yesterday, Mohamad Jonit Adnan, 38, was sentenced to 10 years' jail for killing his estranged wife, Madam Sri Idayu Ghazali, 29, in their Yishun Ring Road flat on Aug 13, 2016.

Jonit, who stabbed his wife more than 30 times, was assessed to be suffering from a major depressive episode at the time.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as his psychiatric condition reduced his mental responsibility for his actions.

The court heard that the couple, who married in 2007 and had two daughters, were in a rocky relationship. He did not have a stable job and had an extramarital affair with a woman, with whom he had a son.

She applied for a divorce in March 2016. In July that year, she applied for a personal protection order against Jonit, who moved out of the flat that month.

Meanwhile, Madam Sri Idayu's parents, sister Sulastri and a domestic worker moved in.

On the evening of Aug 13, Jonit took his daughters to a nearby playground. He asked them if their mother had stayed out late, and they replied "yes". This angered him because he suspected she was going out with another man.

Jonit took the children back to the flat, then picked up a knife from the kitchen and hid it inside his back pocket.

After Ms Sulastri left the flat with the older girl, then 11 years old, Jonit confronted Madam Sri Idayu and asked if she had gone out the previous night. According to him, she replied, with expletives, that it was none of his business.

On hearing this, he took out the knife and began stabbing her.

Their younger daughter rushed into the room when she heard shouts of "sakit" (Malay for "pain") and saw her father stabbing her mother.

Jonit stopped stabbing when he saw the girl in the room. He ran to the kitchen to throw the knife out of the window and fled the flat.

The girl then ran down to tell her aunt and sister what had happened. Ms Sulastri called the police when she saw Madam Sri Idayu covered in blood.

Jonit later surrendered to two police officers who had been dispatched to the scene.

Madam Sri Idayu was taken to hospital with stab wounds on her face, chest, abdomen and hands. She died at about 4.30am the following day. An autopsy found at least 30 stab wounds on her body, eight of which were fatal.

The prosecution sought a jail term of 10 years, while the defence asked for between five and seven years' jail.

Culpable homicide carries a punishment of life imprisonment or up to 20 years' jail, with possible caning or fine.