For Madam Chen Yoke Mooi, yesterday was the first time she had laid eyes on her daughter's killer Gabriel Lee Haw Ling.
The housewife knew that her daughter Elsie Lie Lek Chee was dating him, but disapproved of the relationship. The 54-year-old had never met him even after he became engaged to the eldest of her three children.
She was inconsolable after hearing that Lee had been sentenced to 10 years in jail. "My daughter died so horribly... Ten years for a life, it is not fair," she cried.
The housewife pointed out that Lee could be "out in two years". His jail term was backdated to April 1, 2012, when he was remanded in custody after being charged. If he behaves well in prison, he could get a one-third remission of his sentence.
He was originally charged with murder, but this was reduced to culpable homicide after he was assessed by a psychiatrist to have suffered a brief psychotic disorder at the time. The disorder substantially reduced Lee's mental responsibility for his act of killing Ms Lie, but he knew what he was doing was wrong, said the report by Dr Tejpal Singh.
Madam Chen's elder son, who was also in court, said the family had expected Lee to be sentenced to life imprisonment. Mr Lie Jinn Chyau, 26, a businessman, said his mother gets even more emotional when his sister's birthday and death anniversary come round.
