Police officer fined for breaching ex-wife’s personal protection order

SINGAPORE — It was a tiff that arose between a couple in the throes of divorce over the loss of a pair of sunglasses.

In the heat of the argument, the 42-year-old man used his finger to poke his ex-wife’s private part, causing her pain.

On Tuesday (Dec 18), the man, a police officer with the Police Coast Guard, was fined S$2,000 by District Judge May Mesenas after he admitted to one count of breaching a personal protection order that the 39-year-old woman had filed against him.

Both the man and the woman cannot be named in order to protect the latter’s identity.

The court heard that the couple, who are now divorced, got into frequent quarrels soon after their marriage in 2004. Less than a year later, the woman applied for — and was granted — a personal protection order against him.

The order stated that the man was not to use violence against his wife.

Around 2015, the couple started arguing again, and the frequency of their tiffs grew with time.

“Since January 2017, they started sleeping separately, albeit still in the same unit,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lai, who asked for a S$2,000 fine.

On Oct 23 last year, the woman filed for divorce. Court documents did not state the reason for divorce.

Less than two weeks later, they argued over the loss of his sunglasses, and a letter received from the Syariah Court about a marriage counselling appointment.

He then hurt her in their children’s bedroom. After telling her husband to leave the room, the woman subsequently made a police report.

The couple have three children, aged 12, 11 and six, the court heard. The man is still paying for their expenses as a form of maintenance, added defence lawyer John Koh.

He has also been interdicted from service.

Mr Koh said his client is remorseful for his “foolish actions”, and asked for “the least fine possible”.

“(He) is still a man of limited means,” the lawyer added.