Woman asks for lighter sentence for husband who suffocated her
SINGAPORE — Upset by his wife’s nagging to solve a familial issue, a man tried to suffocate her with a plastic bag tightened over her neck.
After the woman lost consciousness, Govindarajan Thiruvengadam stole her gold chain and wallet, pawning the jewellery to buy clothes and other items for his mistress and her aunt.
Despite his crimes, his wife Ellapur Selvi Chanthenatever forgave him and pleaded for a lighter sentence for her husband during his plead guilty hearing on Monday (25 November).
In a handwritten letter to the court, the 56-year-old nurse said “He is a loving father to both our children who do now miss the presence of their father at any family gathering.”
“This one year without my husband has been a tiring time for me and my children, his absence has caused me many sleepless nights and affected my health and performance at work. Despite his mistake, I sincerely hope the law will forgive him and offer (him a) reduced sentence that will ensure that I have my life partner to (grow) into old age.”
While stating that Ellapur’s forgiveness and wish for her husband’s return deserved “some mitigating weight”, Judicial Commissioner Vincent Hoong jailed her 61-year-old husband three years and three months.
He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted culpable homicide causing hurt, with one count of stealing his wife’s valuables considered for sentencing.
The judge’s sentence was in line with what the prosecution asked for: a jail term of at least three years and three months.
Ellapur and the couple’s children were present in court on Monday, bidding a teary goodbye to the man before he was brought away.
The couple married in 1985, but divorced five years later and remarried between 1999 and 2000. During the offences, the unemployed Govindarajan was having an affair with Malaysian Tanalechumi Subramaniam, 44.
Left her unconscious on the ground
On 6 April last year, Govindarajan and Ellapur were together in their flat when she asked him to speak to their daughter-in-law.
Ellapur wanted her husband to resolve a dispute between his son and daughter-in-law. After Govindarajan called his daughter-in-law on his mobile, Ellapur took the phone and quarrelled with her.
Afterwards, Ellapur complained to Govindarajan and he became enraged as he felt his wife was pressuring him to resolve the problem.
“He decided to kill the victim, and went to the kitchen to retrieve a plastic bag... near the washing machine to suffocate the victim,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kong Kuek Foo.
At about 5pm, Govindarajan returned to the living room and saw his wife on the sofa watching television. He approached her from behind and abruptly covered her head with the plastic bag.
He tightened the plastic bag around Ellapur’s neck, intending to choke her to death. He repeatedly told her to die and said that there was no point in living.
The wife begged with Govindarajan while struggling to free herself, but to no avail. Govindarajan maintained the pressure even as his wife started wheezing. Ellapur then fainted and fell to the ground.
It was only then that Govindarajan removed the plastic bag. He noticed that Ellapur was still breathing and tried to rouse her but she remained unconscious.
He then changed before removing Ellapur’s gold chain. He also took her wallet, containing credit cards and $300 in cash, and left the flat without checking on her.
Some 50 minutes later, Ellapur came to and and realised her valuables were missing. She called and related the incident to her daughter while crying, but told her not to make a police report.
Ellapur later left for her night shift at the hospital at 7.55pm. While there, Ellapur cried and nearly fainted from pain. She was sent to the Accident and Emergency at her workplace, where she eventually confided in her doctor.
She was hospitalised for seven days for her injuries and for other medical conditions that were unrelated to the attempt to kill her.
Wife distressed at his incarceration: lawyer
Meanwhile, Govindarajan pawned the gold chain for $4,250 before meeting his mistress and her aunt. With the cash, Govindarajan bought five tops, a pair of slippers and two gold nose studs for Tanalechumi. He also gave her $300 and bought four bottles of prayer oil and two packets of sambrani, a powder used in incense, for her aunt.
Govindarajan was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint the next day with only $200.50 on him.
“What he did instead was extremely callous and cold, he stole from her when she was lying unconscious,” said DPP (DPP) Wong Woon Kwong, who noted that the the forgiveness of Ellapur and the couple’s daughter should not be accorded mitigating weight. The daughter had also submitted a letter to the court asking for leniency on behalf of her father.
Raphael Louis, the lawyer representing Govindarajan, said the court had acknowledged that forgiveness from the victim was a relevant factor in a situation where the offender’s sentence aggravated the victim’s distress.
The defence lawyer pointed out that Govindarajan’s incarceration had caused his wife sleepless nights and distress, which clearly fell into the situation.
“The longer the sentence, the more stress to the victim. I urge your honour to take that into account,” said Louis.
However DPP Wong said that the victim’s forgiveness was a private matter and should not affect the court’s sentence, adding that there was insufficient evidence to prove significant distress on the wife’s part.
While Govindarajan was diagnosed with adjustment disorder while in remand, an Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist assessed that the condition had not contributed to his actions. The lawyer added that his client had heard a voice in his head telling him to kill his wife.
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