SINGAPORE — A man who suffocated his Vietnamese girlfriend to death after a drug-fuelled argument, was sentenced to nine and a half years’ jail and three strokes of the cane on Monday (March 14).

Justice Tay Yong Kwang convicted Jackson Lim, 41 of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and consumption of a specified drug, methamphetamine. A third charge was taken into consideration.

The case made headlines in 2014 and shocked the neighbourhood in Ang Mo Kio where the couple lived. The High Court heard that Lim, was in a long-term relationship with the deceased, 32-year-old Ms Tran Cam Ny. She was working as a KTV hostess.

In the wee hours of Nov 20, 2014, two of Ms Tran’s friends went to the couple’s flat in Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. Ms Tran and her friends went into the bedroom for a chat while Lim consumed methamphetamine, or “Ice”, in the living room. Occasionally, Ms Tran would go out of the bedroom to join Lim in taking the drug. All four of them then went to sleep in the bedroom.

Subsequently, Ms Tran started to cry loudly and accused Lim that he gave money which she provided him to other women. When she could not stop crying, Lim left the bedroom and went to the living room to continue taking the drug. Ms Tran subsequently followed him and the couple quarreled and exchanged blows. Ms Tran’s friends tried to stop the fight and pulled her back into the bedroom. But Ms Tran began shouting and acting hysterically. Lim then entered the bedroom and started hitting Ms Tran. At about 8.15am, the friends left the flat. Ms Tran began assaulting Lim, who pinned her down to the ground and sat on her chest while straddling her. Ms Tran continued shouting. Lim hit her in the face repeatedly to prevent neighbours from hearing her screams. When she would not stop shouting, Lim took a blanket and pressed it on her mouth and face area with both hands.

When the deceased appeared to have calm down, Lim released Ms Tran. However, she began screaming again. Lim smothered her with the blanket again. After a while, Lim noticed that Ms Tran was bleeding from her mouth and he took the blanket away. Ms Tran gradually stopped responding and became motionless. The autopsy report stated the cause of death as suffocation.

Deputy public prosecutor Lee Zu Zhao urged the court to sentence Lim to a minimum 11 years’ jail and three strokes of the cane. Mr Lee said that an aggravating factor was Lim trying to keep Ms Tran quiet by covering her mouth as he was worried that the neighbours would be alarmed by the fight.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Jennifer Lim said the crime was “not premeditated” and Lim was not the aggressor in this case. “It is a tale of a love story gone wrong,” she said. “The accused loved the deceased dearly and had never intended to kill her.” Instead, Lim tried to repeatedly diffuse the situation, Ms Lim argued. “The deceased was in a drug-fuelled frenzy…the accused responded initially and with concerted attempts to calm the deceased peaceably,” she added. “Only when that failed, did he respond with force, but as the evidence will show, only with the intention of pacifying the deceased for her own good and never to hurt her.”

In sentencing, Justice Tay Yong Kwang noted that the case demonstrates the “very sad” consequences of taking illegal drugs. “I hope this is the last time you take drugs,” the judge said to Lim.