Death penalty for man who killed wife's lover instead of life term after appeal
A man was given the death penalty on Wednesday (27 June) for murdering his wife’s lover after the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the prosecution’s application to enhance the punishment from life imprisonment.
Chia Kee Chen, 58, also had his appeal against his conviction dismissed in the same hearing.
Last year, Chia was convicted of abducting and beating to death his wife’s lover Dexmon Chua Yizhi, 37. He committed the murder after his wife Serene Goh told him that Chua still had compromising videos of their affair. After Chia discovered the affair in 2012, Goh promised to end the relationship but said she was afraid Chua would distribute the videos.
In a judgement delivered by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Justices of Appeal Judith Prakash and Tay Yong Kwang, the judges considered whether Chia was properly diagnosed to have a recognised mental condition, which the defence argued had diminished Chia’s capacity to understand his actions.
The judges criticised the defence’s psychiatric report produced by Dr John Bosco Lee after Chia’s conviction. Referring to the report, which diagnosed Chia with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) on 21 June last year, the panel said that the report should be “entirely disregarded” as it failed to meet the basic requirements of an expert report.
“It is ambiguous, wholly lacking in reasoning and simply states conclusions,” said the judges in their judgement.
There was no explanation of how Chia’s mood and behavioural changes met the diagnosis of MDD, which was based largely on information given by Chia, said the judges. The “partisan” report failed to consider key factors and was devoid of reasoning, they added.
“Experts are duty-bound to be neutral and independent, and to assist the court rather than to advocate for a cause in a partisan manner,” said the judges.
The report did not establish the causal link between Chia’s major depressive disorder and the offence, added the judges.
“We agree with the prosecution that Chia’s actions exhibited such viciousness and such a blatant disregard for the life of (Chua), and are so grievous an affront to humanity and so abhorrent that the death penalty is the appropriate, indeed the only adequate sentence,” said the judges.
In dismissing Chia’s appeal, the judges said that the evidence produced in court “clearly showed that Chia’s operative motive was to exact his revenge on (Chua) rather than to retrieve the recordings.”
There was little evidence that Chia made any genuine attempts to retrieve the recordings, but instead brutally assaulted Chua, said the judges.
Background of the case
Between 28 and 29 December 2013, with the help of two accomplices, Indonesian Febri Irwansyah Djatmiko and Chua Leong Aik, Chia abducted the victim in a Choa Chu Kang carpark by forcing him into the van, and assaulted him multiple times. The numerous blunt force blows to Chua’s head and face resulted in fractures to nearly every bone below his eye socket to lower jaw.
Febri joined Chia in the attack while Leong Aik drove the van. After the assault, Chia dumped the victim at a military live firing area in Lim Chu Kang. Chia led police to the body after he was arrested three days later.
After a trial in the High Court, Chia was convicted and sentenced to life in jail in August last year.
Leong Aik was given a five-year jail term for his role in the offence, while Febri, an Indonesian has not been apprehended.
Related stories:
Man who bashed wife’s ex-lover in fatal attack sentenced to life in jail
Prosecution seeks death penalty for man who killed wife’s former lover
‘Stretch marks’ SMS caused man accused of killing wife’s lover to suspect affair
