Man who threatened to kill wife, son, nephew and sister-in-law sentenced to 9 months’ jail
SINGAPORE — He threatened to kill his wife and seven-year-old son after they moved out behind his back in September.
Lum Chung Khuen, 43, then went to live in his brother’s home but, in an alcohol-fuelled rage last month, he smashed furniture and terrorised his nephew and sister-in-law.
On Thursday (Dec 27), Lum pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal intimidation and another charge of using abusive words with the intent to cause alarm. He was sentenced to nine months’ jail and fined S$2,000. Three other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
On Sept 17, Lum’s wife Kok Li Eng, 43, moved out of their matrimonial home with their son, court documents stated.
Lum kept calling his wife the whole evening and she finally answered his call at about 8.30pm. Lum then threatened to kill her and their son unless they returned by the end of the day.
Two months later, at about 6pm on Nov 13, Lum created a din at his brother’s home when he returned drunk.
His 18-year-old nephew, who was studying for an examination the next day, confronted him but Lum responded with vulgarities and grabbed the teenager’s neck.
The dispute escalated when Lum’s sister-in-law emerged from her room and intervened. Mother and son then ran into the son's room as Lum vented his anger by throwing furniture around.
They did not shut the bedroom door but Lum slammed it many times, causing the locking mechanism to malfunction. He then kicked and slammed the door with so much force that it bent, creating a gap between the door and doorframe.
Poking his head in, he threatened to kill them if they did not open the door. Fearing for their lives, his nephew called the police.
Before he was sentenced, Lum — whose wife and son were in court — admitted to a drinking problem and vowed to stop, saying in Mandarin that he would not repeat his actions.
District Judge May Mesenas noted that Lum had dabbled in drugs before turning to alcohol. “You have to do something about your drinking habit. (Otherwise,) I am not sure if your family members (will) still want to live with you upon your release,” she said.
She added that he should speak to a court counsellor and sort out his living arrangements for the future, and he told her that he would probably be unable to move back in with his brother after his release.
The judge also suggested that Lum get help from the counsellor in handling ongoing divorce proceedings and possible child custody issues with his wife.
Lum’s sentence was backdated to Nov 15, the date of his remand.
For threatening to cause death, he could have been jailed for up to seven years or more.
For intending to cause alarm to another person, he could have been jailed six months and fined up to S$5,000 under the Protection from Harassment Act.
