Man pleads guilty to attempted murder of wife in 2022

Attack left her disfigured, blind in one eye; prosecution seeks life imprisonment, caning

- Selina Lum

A 49-year-old man who relentlessly slashed his wife in a vicious attack in Beach Road in 2022 pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder on May 20.

Cheng Guoyuan attacked Ms Han Hongli, 44, because he did not want to risk her exposing wrongdoing he had committed against their daughter, 23, from her previous marriage, the court was told.

The nature of the wrongdoing was not stated in court.

Ms Han and Cheng, who are from China, have a son who is 19.

Ms Han, whose left hand was almost severed during the attack as she defended herself, is now blind in her left eye. Her face is permanently disfigured, and the functioning of her arms is impaired.

The tip of her right ring finger was also amputated.

Cheng told the court through a Mandarin interpreter: "I am very remorseful. I have done something wrong, and I admit (it)."

The attack took place on April 14, 2022, outside a row of shops and restaurants at about 5.30pm.

The prosecution sought a sentence of life imprisonment and eight to 12 strokes of the cane for Cheng, saying that severe harm was caused and that Cheng's culpability was very high.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong said videos of the attack circulated online, as well as extensive media coverage, had amplified the public disquiet caused.

Cheng's lawyer, Mr Johannes Hadi, asked for a sentence of 15 years' jail and five strokes of the cane.

He said caution needed to be exercised in trying to quantify the level of public disquiet in different cases and then relying on this to make a submission on the severity of harm.