Wife stabs husband for messaging lover

SINGAPORE — Upset that her husband of 14 years had been exchanging romantic text and voice messages with a woman he wanted to take as his second wife, a 30-year-old mother of two ended up stabbing him in the chest.

Nur Fairuzana Ahmad, an administrator at a shipping company, yesterday admitted to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to her husband, Mr Muhammad Yasser Abdul Shukor.

On April 17 last year, the couple were in the bedroom of their Punggol flat when Mr Yasser was exchanging text messages with his fiancee, according to the statement of facts tendered in court yesterday.

He had apparently met the latter in the Philippines, and had told Fairuzana last January that he wished to marry the woman, according to the defence’s submission.

That evening, Mr Yasser also exchanged audio messages with his fiancee, saying “I love you” to each other.

Angered by this, Fairuzana snatched his phone from him. Mr Yasser got his phone back after a struggle and pushed her onto the bed.

Fairuzana left the room and returned with a knife in hand, shouting at her husband. She stabbed him on the right side of his chest and pulled the knife out. It dropped when Mr Yasser grabbed her hand, and he picked up the weapon and flung it out of the window.

He made a police report at around 10.15pm, saying his wife had stabbed him and he was “bleeding badly”. His injuries included a 3cm stab wound and a 1cm cut in his liver.

Fairuzana was diagnosed with adjustment disorder by the Institute of Mental Health after her arrest, said Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sia Jiazheng, who sought a jail term of at least two months.

Defence lawyer Vigneesh Nainar urged the court to assess her suitability for a Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO), saying her offence was committed “on impulse and ... upon her husband’s provocation”.

Fairuzana was a victim of physical and emotional abuse, he said. Mr Yasser was a “controlling and domineering” person who is said to have slapped and punched her in fits of anger, and once “sat on her and choked her” after she spent a night out with colleagues.

Their relationship worsened when he told her of plans to take a second wife, who was only identified as “Shiraval”. Mr Yasser would often speak to Ms Shiraval on the phone in front of Fairuzana and once brought the woman to his mother’s home to introduce her to his family, said Mr Vigneesh.

The court heard that Fairuzana has decided to file for divorce and is now living with her parents after moving out of the matrimonial home last month. Mr Yasser now lives there with his fiancee.

District Judge May Mesenas said she would call for an MTO suitability report, as well as community service order and day reporting order reports for Fairuzana.

Mr Vigneesh urged the court to impose a fine or a jail term of up to two weeks if she is found to be unsuitable.

Fairuzana, who is out on bail, is expected to be sentenced on Oct 16. For voluntarily causing hurt, she faces a jail term of up to two years, and/or a fine of up to S$5,000. Alfred Chua