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SINGAPORE: A day after he implicated his wife for the murder of their two-year-old daughter, Sallehan Alauddin's motives came under scrutiny.
His claims on Wednesday, his first day on the stand in his ongoing murder trial, contrasted with the night of his arrest, when he omitted any involvement of his wife in his police statement.
This, even though they had fought a few days before their daughter's death on Jan 6. At the time, Sallehan suspected his wife was having an affair.
A disbelieving Deputy Public Prosecutor Winston Cheng asked: "If it's true that you've been having marital problems, then why cover up for her (until now)?"
The accused retorted: "Why is this incredible to believe? I was thinking of the children."
The couple have two other children, aged one year and two months respectively.
More details emerged on Thursday about the couple's relationship. Madam Rozanah Mohamed Yusoff, 24, did not love him as much as before, Sallehan claimed.
Since he was remanded, she had also not been visiting him much in prison. Her last visit was on Aug 12, but several months earlier, Mdm Rozanah, who is unemployed, told him she could not visit him anymore because her boyfriend did not approve.
But this was no motivation for his change of heart in his testimony, Sallehan told the court through an interpreter. He said he decided to come clean only on the advice of his lawyer N Kanagavijayan on Oct 8, before the trial started.
"It's with a heavy heart that I implicate my wife ... my lawyer said it's better I tell the truth because I was facing the death penalty," he said.
The accused said he did not initially mention his wife's assault on Natalie Nikie Alisyia with a broomstick because they had made "a deal" that he would shoulder the blame.
He said: "If we both went to jail, there would be no one else to take care of the children."
Sallehan, who is admitting to have only slapped and punched Nikie, is accused of causing her death by stamping on and kicking her.
The trial continues. - TODAY
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