Daily Lesson from Life 28 April 2009

Jail term cut for wife—slasher - Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, April 28

SINGAPORE: By all accounts, it was a "frenzied attack" — Russell Tan Rui Leen repeatedly stabbed and slashed his wife, and even attempted to saw off her head.

But Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong on Monday reduced the jail sentence for the 40—year—old former investment analyst by one year to three years, ruling that the “very, very serious attack” on Madam Jann Goh Hwee Suan had occurred “against a domestic backdrop of prolonged marital conflict and verbal abuse”.

He also set aside Tan’s sentence of eight strokes of the cane, saying it was “pointless” for a crime sparked off by “grave and sudden provocation”.


“It is common experience that verbal abuse can sometimes be more enraging and explosive as a form of provocation than physical abuse,” noted CJ Chan.

The vicious attack took place in their matrimonial home in Pasir Ris Drive on September 30, 2007.


Tan, a former Business Times and Straits Times journalist, snapped after hearing Mdm Goh, 36, telling their five—year—old son — whom weeks ago had showed suicidal tendencies — that his father had threatened to kill himself.

When Mdm Goh called the police and said she would apply for a personal protection order against him, Tan flew into a rage.


Mdm Goh was hospitalised for 18 days and left with 80 scars.

Citing four medical reports relating “persistent spousal abuse and matrimonial friction” between the couple, CJ Chan said this led to the build—up of severe mental stress in Tan. It was “uncharacteristic” of Tan — who had never laid hands on Mdm Goh in their six years of marriage — to react violently, said CJ Chan.

Tan lost his self—control and went “berserk” on the day of the attack because he was convinced that Mdm Goh’s regular taunts and accusations against him in front of their two young children were harmful to them, he added."

This is a tragedy. The one comment that struck me by the Chief Justice is: verbal abuse can sometimes be more enraging and explosive as a form of provocation than physical abuse!

Lessons for me are:

1. while marriage is sacrosanct but if it is really not working, it is better to part than to prolong the agony for all involved. This is rationality speaking and not emotion. The parties involved have to make that choice;

2. verbal abuses can caused more harm that physical abuses is something every leader need to pay attention to. It is easy to rant and let off steam when our people did not perform a mutually agreed task to the mutually set high standard, the consequence of that non-performance may got us into trouble with the higher up and we may actually get chew up and our career temporarily suffered. It is when we lost control of our own emotion that we may launch into verbal abuses that will leave deep scars on our people. If we are not cognisant of it, it may just get repeated and repeated until the bottled emotion burst the bank! Something terrible might just happen!;

3. when we fight we must be careful not to let the rage and frustration spilled over to innocent bystanders. It will be hard to control oneself but we must try. Only when you are conscious of what you need to do to calm yourself down can you practice and develop the skills to calm yourself down when the trigger event happened! It moves from the consciousness to the subconsciousness. That's how the American soldiers on Rest & Recreation in Singapore during the Vietnam war all hit the floor when a big 'bang' noise resulted from a burst type along busy Orchard Road instantly! It has become a conditioned response! An instinct!!

It is unusual for the CJ to get involved with such a case and to actually reduced the sentences. I hope the man will be ok after treatment and the jail term while the wife recovered. And the kids get properly help to counsel and recover from the mental trauma.