Stroke victim's sister wins in bid to be his sole deputy against his ex-wife

Judge doubted ex-wife's genuine care for man from absence of nursing home visits

- Christine Tan

When a 48-year-old man suffered a stroke and lost his mental capacity, his former wife and elder sister fought to be appointed as his sole deputy.

After a legal tussle lasting almost two years, the Family Court granted his sister's application in June, noting that she had shown consistency in care and concern for him.

In a judgment made available on Nov 14, District Judge Jason Gabriel Chiang explained his decision, against which the former wife has appealed.

Court documents described the man as a Singaporean businessman involved in automobile care and works. He is now about 50 years old.

His sister and only sibling is five years older than him; his former wife is a 42-year-old maths tutor.

The couple, who divorced in 2018, have two sons aged 15 and 13. The woman had a third son with another man before the divorce was finalised.

They had split as the man had alleged they had many disagreements and quarrels, and suggested that she had had an extramarital affair.

Despite their separation, the two had a cordial relationship and frequently communicated regarding their sons.

But there was animosity between the man's sister and former wife — the two of them had stopped talking to each other from 2016.

In March 2023, the man suffered a sudden left-sided haemorrhagic stroke and was admitted to hospital. Since October that year, he has been living at All Saints Home in Jurong East.

A doctor certified that the man lacked the ability to make decisions on his personal welfare, property and affairs due to the stroke.