SINGAPORE, June 23 — A doctor who was already convicted of brutally bashing his then-girlfriend when she refused him sex in August 2017 pleaded guilty yesterday to two other instances of assaulting her in March of the same year.
One of these assaults happened when Rachel Lim En Hui, now 27, told him that she wanted to end their relationship.
Clarence Teo Shun Jie accosted her at the void deck of her block of flats, took her to his place, locked her in his bedroom, punched her in the face and poured apple juice on her while the air-conditioning was switched on.
Teo, who works as a locum — or stand-in doctor — at clinics, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years and two weeks’ jail yesterday. He was also given four strokes of the cane and a fine of S$4,000 (RM12,207).
The 35-year-old began serving his sentence immediately.
He previously claimed trial to two earlier charges of causing grievous hurt to Lim and wrongfully confining her in August 2017. He was found guilty of those charges earlier this year.
Teo and Lim had met on the dating mobile application Coffee Meets Bagel in February 2017 and dated from then until August that year.
Teo previously told the court that he was a severe alcoholic and his drinking led to blackouts that caused him to do “crazy things” of which he had no recollection when he sobered up.
However, District Judge Toh Han Li found that Teo had failed to show that he was so intoxicated that he did not have the intent to commit the offences.
Yesterday, he admitted to two other charges of causing hurt to Lim on March 12 and 30 in 2017. Prosecutors had sought four years and five weeks’ jail, as well as six strokes of the cane.
Told her she'd be an internet sensation
The court heard that the first time Teo assaulted her, Lim had met him at his flat on the afternoon of March 12. He was “drunk, happy and tipsy” and they went out to buy something before returning to the flat.
When they went to his bedroom to chat, she noticed many beer bottles in his trash bin.
Teo suddenly brought up Lim’s past relationships and yelled at her, before punching her in the face when she asked what was wrong. The force of the blow caused her to bite down on her own cheek and she began bleeding from her mouth.
She realised something was not right with him and tried to leave, but he began interrogating her about her past relationships again and threw another punch at her.
She left the flat after he stopped being violent. The next day, he apologised to her, adding that he had anger management issues and that he regretted what had happened. He also promised not to do it again.
She accepted the apology and continued dating him.
Five days later, he sent her a phone text message with a nude photograph of her, saying she would be an “internet sensation.”
On March 29, 2017, she told him that she wanted to break up with him. He then verbally abused her harshly, but she hung up on him and ignored his subsequent missed calls and messages.
The next day at about 8am, she was on her way to work when she ran into Teo waiting for her at the void deck of the block of flats where she lived.
He grabbed her hand and dragged her to his car, but she struggled and he hit her several times. She also tried to press the car horn to attract the attention of passersby.
He then punched her in the face and pushed her into the car, before taking her to his flat and locking them in his bedroom.
Again, he punched her in the face and poured apple juice on her. He eventually allowed her to change out of her wet clothes but soon poured more juice over her head.
He refused to let her leave even though she said she needed to get a medical certificate to excuse her absence from work. After several hours, he allowed her to go and she went to a clinic for medical attention.
She filed a police report the next day, saying that Teo had called her earlier that afternoon and threatened to harm her.
Police broke down his door
During the trial, the court heard that in the wee hours of August 27, 2017, Teo flew into a rage and assaulted Lim when both were in bed and she refused to have sex with him.
When she tried to escape and leave the bedroom, he forced her back into the room and locked the door.
He then punched Lim’s face repeatedly with “great force”, hitting her head against the wall. Teo’s father heard crying sounds and loud noises coming intermittently from the room, then eventually called the police.
Police officers broke down the door and found Lim sitting in the corner of the room.
A photo of Lim’s swollen and badly beaten face was published online, sparking public outrage over the violence that was inflicted upon her.
The assault left her with multiple facial fractures, a fracture to her little finger and brain haemorrhage. She was hospitalised for 20 days.
Prosecutors said that she sought help from the Institute of Mental Health and a private psychiatrist a total of 26 times from then until March 2019. She had screws and a plate inserted into her fractured hand.
Teo’s lawyer, Tan Hee Joek, told the court yesterday that Teo has since made full compensation of about S$10,000 for her medical bills.
For causing grievous hurt, he could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined or caned.
He could have been jailed up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both, for each charge of causing hurt. — TODAY
