Man who assaulted girlfriend over cheating suspicions jailed 6 months

SINGAPORE - A 32-year-old man, suspecting that his girlfriend was cheating on him, punched, kicked and even hit her on the head with a metal cooking pot.

Ms Nur Aziemah Kasiman, 31, suffered extensive bruises on her face, chest, limbs as well as a fractured jaw.

Her boyfriend Saifullizan Ali was sentenced to six months' jail on Tuesday (Aug 7) after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt.

The court heard that Saifullizan confronted his girlfriend about his suspicions at about 9pm on Dec 30 last year while both were at his rented apartment.

She denied cheating on him and he became enraged, kicking her several times in her stomach. He then pulled her hair and pushed her against the wall, before punching her stomach a few times.

At this point, the victim had fallen to the ground and was lying sideways.

While she was on the ground, Saifullizan continued assaulting her, kicking her on the back. He then stepped on her right side and asked if she was hiding anything from him, the court heard.

When the victim replied that she was not, Saifullizan kneeled on top of her, pinning her hands to the ground while punching her chest area repeatedly.

Eventually, Saifullizan stood up and asked the victim if she wanted to smoke, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Charleston Teo.

"Fearful, the victim went to the balcony and smoked with the accused. There, the accused used his right hand to grab and lift the victim's chin, pushing her against the balcony ledge," said DPP Teo.

Saifullizan started questioning the victim again and when she continued to deny that she was cheating on him, he hit her head twice with a metal cooking pot taken from the kitchen.

Five days later, on Jan 4 this year, the victim sought medical treatment at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. She was given medical leave for three days, which was later extended by another five days.

The victim filed a police report on Jan 6 at Woodlands West Neighbourhood Police Centre.

On Tuesday, DPP Teo called for the court to jail Saifullizan for at least six months, considering that he has had "numerous violent antecedents" with previous offences involving voluntarily causing grievous hurt and causing hurt through dangerous means.

Saifullizan told the court that he was "truly sorry for what I have done" and that he "wishes to change to become a better person".

He added that he wanted to marry his girlfriend and take care of his ailing parents.

In response, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan told him not to "just pay lip service" but to seek counselling for anger management. "I take a dim view of such actions. Do something about this," added the judge.

Saifullizan promised the judge that he would seek help to deal with his anger issues.

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