Former court interpreter jailed for stabbing his wife, leaving 24 lacerations

SINGAPORE: A former court interpreter was jailed six months on Monday (Mar 2) for stabbing his wife.

Hamid Ibrahim, 72, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon.

The court heard that Hamid, who was then a freelance Bahasa Indonesia interpreter, was showering in his Serangoon flat on Nov 23, 2018, when his 66-year-old wife picked up his phone.

She read some of the chat messages on them and believed that they had been exchanged with women her husband was romantically interested in.

After finishing his shower, Hamid exited the bathroom with a pail of unwashed clothes and headed to the washing machine with it.

While in the kitchen, his wife started asking him about the messages she had found, demanding to know why he was chatting with other women, and saying he must be involved with them.

Hamid insisted the women were his customers, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair, and the pair began arguing.

Hamid lost his temper and used the emptied pail to hit his wife repeatedly on the head until it broke into three parts.

He then took a knife from the sink and stabbed his wife 13 times on her arms, six times on her buttock and five times on her back, court documents said.

The victim did not retaliate physically in any way, the prosecutor said.

Hamid eventually dropped the knife in the kitchen and called the police.

His wife was taken to Sengkang General Hospital by ambulance with multiple lacerations in her arms, buttock and back.

She sustained 24 lacerations from the 24 times her husband stabbed her with the kitchen knife, which had a blade that was 16cm long.

Defence lawyer T M Sinnadurai told the court that his client, who is now self-employed and is still with his wife, is truly remorseful.

"The accused admits that his actions were due to a moment of emotional aggression," he said. "This is a scar that will remain with him for the rest of his life."

He added that Hamid has four children with his wife and had been employed as an official interpreter for the past 20 years.

He said his client had joined a counselling programme on his own accord in an attempt at self-help.

For voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, Hamid could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined. He cannot be caned as he is above 50.

In response to CNA queries, a State Courts spokesperson said on Thursday that Hamid was a freelance interpreter and translator engaged by the courts when required, and "not an employee".

"To avoid any conflict of interest due to his involvement in the case, the State Courts have not engaged Mr Hamid’s services since he was charged in November 2018," said the spokesperson.