SINGAPORE, Sept 26 — A 40-year-old hairstylist was sentenced to 12 years’ jail today for stabbing his 48-year-old lover to death after the latter wanted to end the relationship.

The court heard that Tan Chee Yeow and the deceased Tan Chin Siong, who was an assistant vice president at UOB, were in a same-sex romantic relationship after they met each other in Johor Baru in 2007. Both are Malaysians.

Their relationship started to deteriorate about three years before the fatal stabbing on September 4 last year because Tan wanted to be "publicly recognised” as the deceased’s partner, but the latter wanted to keep their relationship low-profile and hid it from his parents.

Tan also consumed alcohol habitually and threatened to commit suicide on several occasions, the court heard.

The prosecution said their relationship took a turn for the worse on the deceased’s birthday on August 28 last year, after Tan started complaining that the deceased had failed to keep his promise to introduce him as his partner to the deceased’s family as well as to help Tan sell his piece of land in Kuching, in East Malaysia.

The following day, the deceased had plans to return to JB to celebrate his birthday with his family members. But before he reached JB, Tan had called the deceased’s mother to inform her of their relationship.

The deceased’s mother was shocked and told the accused that "it was not possible for them”. Later that day, the deceased ignored Tan’s calls and messages.

On August 30, the deceased called Tan and told him that he was not gay, and that he wanted to get married and have children.

The pair also visited a psychiatrist on August 31, who said that Tan’s initial diagnosis of depression with generalised anxiety disorder and alcohol dependence had been further aggravated by domestic issues between them.

During the visit, the psychiatrist had advised the deceased to delay the intended breakup by two weeks while Tan started on his medication to "stabilise his emotions”. But later on, the deceased called the psychiatrist again as he wanted end the relationship immediately. On September 4, Tan headed to the deceased’s residence and brought along a knife — which he bought the day before to commit suicide — as he intended to use it to kill the deceased before killing himself if the latter refused to reconcile with him.

While making his way there, he spotted the deceased walking in the opposite direction towards Ang Mo Kio MRT station. Tan approached the deceased and pleaded with him not to end their relationship. He also told the deceased even if he wanted to end their relationship, he should "do it slowly and not so suddenly as he (Tan) could not take it”.

Tan also repeatedly asked the deceased to accompany him the following day, but the deceased said he needed to keep his family company.

Sensing that there was little chance of them reconciling, Tan decided to kill the deceased before killing himself. He took out the knife and stabbed the deceased twice on the chest and once on the back before a passer-by stopped him.

In sentencing, Judicial Commissioner Audrey Lim said Tan had deliberately brought a knife along with him and had the intention to kill the deceased.

He knew what he was going to do and made a conscious decision to take a person’s life, added the judge. — TODAY