Doctor found guilty of brutally bashing ex-girlfriend for refusing to have sex with him, locking her in room

SINGAPORE – A doctor, who was on trial for the brutal bashing of his then-girlfriend after she refused him sex, has been found guilty by a district court.

The assault left the woman with multiple facial fractures and she had to be hospitalised for 21 days.

Clarence Teo Shun Jie, 35, was charged with one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and one charge of wrongful confinement. He had contested the charges.

Teo had previously told the court that he was a severe alcoholic and his drinking led to blackouts that caused him to do “crazy things” of which he had no recollection when he sobered up.

However, District Judge Toh Han Li, in delivering his grounds of decision in the State Court on Monday (March 9), said Teo had failed to show that he was so intoxicated that he did not have the intent to commit the offences.

On the evening of the assault, Teo had driven Ms Rachel Lim En Hui, who is now 27, back to his home after they spent an “enjoyable” evening out drinking. 

In the wee hours of Aug 27, 2017, Teo flew into a rage and assaulted Ms Lim when both were in bed and she refused to have sex with him. When she tried to escape and leave the bedroom, he forced her back into the room and locked the door.

He then punched Ms Lim’s face repeatedly with “great force”, hitting her head against the wall.

A photo of Ms Lim’s swollen and badly beaten face that went online sparked public outrage over the violence that was inflicted upon her.

FAILED TO ESTABLISH DEFENCE OF INTOXICATION NEGATING INTENT

On Monday, District Judge Toh said he accepted Ms Lim’s evidence that the attacks arose out of her refusal to have sex with Teo and did not find any material inconsistencies with it. “In fact, the accused’s own evidence corroborates the victim’s evidence in that he recalled sexual intercourse with the victim and then having an argument,” he said.

He also explained why Teo’s defence was unable to meet two requirements to successfully establish a defence of intoxication negating intent.

The first requirement, he said, was to show “objective evidence” of the level of intoxication.

District Judge Toh pointed out there had been some dispute on the actual quantity of alcohol consumed by Teo.

Ultimately, medical experts Dr Christopher Cheok and Dr Munidasa Winslow – who were called to take the stand by the prosecution and the defence respectively – agreed that Teo’s blood alcohol concentration fell between the range of 165 and 225 mg/dl, which District Judge Toh noted was below the threshold suggested by medical literature at which alcoholic blackouts are likely to occur.

“Second, even if the accused can prove that he had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, the surrounding facts must show that he was so intoxicated that he could not form the intention to commit the alleged offences,” said the judge.

He also agreed with an opinion previously raised in court that Teo’s ability to “perform targeted and complicated” action such as driving a car, locking the door and having sexual intercourse “all pointed towards mental capacity” on Teo’s part.

“I also find that the targeted injuries on the victim’s face point towards the accused’s sufficient cognitive ability to aim his assault at a specific area,” said District Judge Toh. “Both experts agreed that if one did not have the requisite intention, the blows would have been unfocused and non-directed.”

Furthermore, the judge added that Teo’s father did not observe his son to be drunk when he arrived home with Ms Lim at 2am – an observation a police officer similarly made when he arrested Teo at 4am that same morning.

Teo faces three more charges of voluntarily causing hurt to Ms Lim.

The man’s defence lawyer, Mr Tan Hee Joek, said his client has also expressed his desire to compensate Ms Lim for her medical expenses, which amounted to around S$10,000.

Teo remains out on S$15,000 bail and is expected to be sentenced on April 17.

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