Tan Hui Zhen (left) was sentenced to 16-and-a-half years' jail, while her husband Pua Hak Chuan received a sentence of 14 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane. (Photos: Singapore Police Force)
SINGAPORE: The Singaporean couple who showed "monstrous cruelty" in "torturing" an intellectually disabled waitress, who died after eight months of abuse, was sentenced to jail on Friday (Dec 1).
Housewife Tan Hui Zhen was sentenced to 16-and-a-half years' jail, while her husband, storeman Pua Hak Chuan, received a sentence of 14 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane.
The couple were convicted on Monday of multiple charges of assaulting 26-year-old Annie Ee Yu Lian over eight months, from August 2014 until her death on Apr 13, 2015.
An autopsy detailed the extent of the abuse she suffered: Twelve fractured ribs and seven fractured vertebrae, a ruptured stomach and a body crowded with blisters and bruises.
In court on Friday, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng called the case "appalling".
"The accused persons abused the victim in an extremely cruel and inhumane manner … substantial sentences are called for as punishment to reflect the gravity and severity of (their) offences,” Justice Hoo said.
"Both the accused have abused the victim in an inhumane and cruel demeanour. They fully abused the victim's trust in them," he said.
The couple also showed an "utter lack of contrition", the judge said.
Though Ms Ee was “in a pitiable state” and had become incontinent, the couple decided against seeking medical attention.
Instead, “they remained more interested in themselves,” Justice Hoo said. To escape detection, Tan arranged for Ms Ee to change jobs and “pretended to show care” when Ms Ee’s colleague raised questions about her physical state.
“The victim was a vulnerable victim and of low intelligence. She trusted them and treated them like family. They abused her trust."
In the face of Ms Ee's suffering, Tan and Pua "did not repent".
“They continued to physically and emotionally abuse her … (Ms Ee) died in an undignified way, after suffering pain over the course of hours, and being deprived of medical attention,” Justice Hoo said.
Ms Ee died after eight months of abuse. “Throughout this time, (Ms Ee) did not protest. Unfortunately, her silence appeared to have emboldened the accused persons,” Justice Hoo said.
Turning to Tan’s multiple psychiatric conditions, Justice Hoo said Tan “knew full well what she was doing … she took full advantage of (Ms Ee’s) trust and got (Pua) involved in the abuse,” the judge noted.
She said “little weight” should be given to Tan’s psychiatric conditions.
26-year-old Annie Ee Yu Lian was found dead in her bed on Apr 13, 2015. (Photo: Facebook/Annie Ee Yu Lian)
COUPLE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED, EXPLOITED VICTIM: PROSECUTION
Ms Ee had been “pulverised", Deputy Public Prosecutors April Phang and Claire Poh said. She had been “tortured”, “stripped of her money, her dignity and her will to live”, they told the High Court.
The couple assaulted Ms Ee with their bare hands at first, but graduated to beating her with items including Tan’s bedroom slippers, a plastic belt, a bamboo stick and a plastic dustbin.
But the implement Ms Ee feared most was a large, heavy roll of shrink wrap measuring 51.5cm by 24cm, the court heard.
The couple also subjected her to psychological abuse by intimidating and taunting her, “undermining her sense of self-worth”, the prosecutors said. Ms Ee had attempted to kill herself “as a result of the accused persons’ persistent humiliation", they told the court.
Tan and Pua also financially exploited the victim by forcing her to hand over her entire paycheck of S$1,200 to Tan, who gave her a weekly allowance of S$50, which she later reduced to S$30.
Ms Ee was also made to record made-up sums of money in Tan’s “book of debts” to “compensate” for every time she angered Tan, whom she called “jie jie" (older sister in Mandarin).
“(The couple’s) control and exploitation of Annie was complete,” the prosecutors said.
They had sought 15 years’ jail for Tan and 14 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for Pua, who said he should have “manned up” to his wife and put a stop the horrific abuse.
Instead, he was henpecked into the role of “standby slapper”, and would take over slapping Ms Ee whenever his wife told him to, the court heard.
Originally charged with murder, Tan, 33, qualified for the defence of diminished responsibility because she was suffering from moderate to severe depression and borderline personality disorder at the time of the offences, according to a psychiatric report.
She was convicted of reduced charges of causing grievous hurt with a weapon, as was Tan, who also initially faced a murder charge.
Source: Channel News Asia
Just did. Upping this for awareness!
Sign the petition and ask our courts to wake up their fucking idea!!!!!!
https://www.change.org/p/appeal-for-harsher-sentence-singaporean-couple-abuses-intellectually-disabled-woman-to-death
‘We are sorry’, say families of couple who tortured tenant
SINGAPORE — The families of the couple who abused their tenant for eight months to her death on Friday (Dec 1) apologised to the family of the victim, and pleaded for the public not to launch personal attacks against them.
Pua Hak Chuan, 38, and his wife Tan Hui Zhen, 33, were handed jail sentences of 14 years, and 16.5 years, respectively. Pua also received 14 strokes of the cane. The couple had pleaded guilty on Monday to causing grievous hurt to Annie Ee Yu Lian, 26, leading to her death.
Tan's eldest brother, who declined to give his full name, said: "We really owe an apology to (Ee's) family … and would like to do so."
Speaking to reporters after the judgement was delivered, he added: "Those who are responsible for the acts have been punished already. We (the families) are fully agreeable that they should be punished for what they have done."
The couple's actions were met with public outrage since they made the headlines on Monday. More than 19,000 signatures have been collected as of Friday morning on a petition calling for stiffer punishment against them.
Tan's eldest brother said the public "can comment freely", but he hoped that they would show restraint. "While it may seem (to some) that we were trying to seek a lighter sentence, we were just trying to seek a fair consideration of points on both sides," he said.
Tan's mother was not in court on Friday, as the family was concerned about the potential public reaction. Tan's lawyer Josephus Tan told reporters that the families "have been under tremendous backlash over the past few days".
In her mitigation plea submitted to the court on Monday, it was revealed by Tan's eldest brother that their family had a history of abuse. "It wasn't a happy childhood… but neither was it bad enough to justify what had happened," he said.
Speaking to reporters, Tan's eldest brother said the couple's friends and family will continue to support them. "It is a long way we need to walk with them…after their release…we are committed to help them," he said.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/we-are-sorry-say-families-couple-who-tortured-tenant
@City Hunter: if that's her resl life sister, damn she is pretty. Just saying.
Truly disturbing that such monsters exist amongst us. Sigh. RIP gal.
'They were like gangsters': Neighbour of couple who 'tortured' intellectually disabled woman
One resident, who wished to be known only as Mr Lee, remembers them all, and not without a tinge of regret.
“I knew Annie, but she didn’t talk much to us,” he said. “She talked to my wife a few times, and sometimes, they used to meet and go to work together.
“I also knew the couple, but they kept to themselves,” he added. “If they passed by our flat and saw us, they would greet us. But the girl (Annie) never did.”
Mr Lee also spoke of times when he had seen Ms Ee with visible injuries on her face and body. “Sometimes, she had swollen eyes, or a swollen face,” he said. “I saw the bruises, and suspected it was because of the couple, but I didn’t want to ask too much about it.
“Because the couple ... they had so many tattoos and were like gangsters,” he added. “But we had no evidence, and even their direct neighbour did not notice anything wrong.”
Sounds of the abuse may not have been evident to neighbours, as according to court documents, Ms Ee did not scream or shout during the assaults, but would instead control or muffle her pain. When she could not control her pain and shouted, she would be scolded by Tan.
But when asked if he regretted not speaking up or probing further on the basis of his suspicions, Mr Lee nodded sombrely.
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/annie-ee-couple-tortured-woodlands-neighbour-9455224
If that's the case, where was her sister when she needed her most???
The couple deserves to rot in hell, not prison. Well, I will be saying a prayer wishing that Tan chokes on her food while on the inside, and Pua ends up being gang raped on a daily basis till folks tear him a completely new asshole.
This girl Shirley Ee's FB link has been circulating online - her flesh and blood sister?
https://www.facebook.com/yelrihs.ee/photos?pnref=lhc
I cried after reading this....... RIP angel.
The Sad Life of Annie Ee Yu Lian
In one of the saddest stories to happen this year, we take a look at what happened to Annie Ee Yu Lian, the girl who was systematically abused, exploited and finally killed by a friend she had known since she was 13 years old.
Who is Annie Ee Yu Lian?
According to reports, she was a 27-year-old waitress who earned $1,200 to $1,500 a month working for various restaurants. While she had to deal with intellectual difficulties, she was still able to work for a living, waiting tables at restaurants like Hot Tomato at Causeway Point.
She lived with the couple who would eventually kill her in a flat on the third storey of Block 878, Woodlands Avenue 9, on Monday morning. The two people she lived with were Pua Hak Chuan, 38, and Tan Hui Zhen, 33.
Annie and Tan had been friends during their teenage years, but didn’t maintain communication for long periods of time. But in 2011, the two made contact and Tan was able to convince Annie to break up with her boyfriend at the time.
While unclear if Tan was successful in making the couple separate, the case details said that in 2013, Annie had been persuaded to move in with the couple. Before she permanently moved in, she would stay over–calling Tan her “older sister” and Pua her “older brother.” The couple are not related by blood to the victim.
A promising start
Annie moved in with the couple in 2013, and she wasn’t even required to pay rent–at the time. Tan could have been looking out for Annie when she would call the restaurants where the latter worked, asking for Annie to come home at once.
But things turned awry when a supposed bedbug infestation occurred in the apartment, and the couple pointed to Annie as the culprit.
The oppression begins
Annie was required to pay them to get rid of the infestation, and was also asked to pay rent. As the months went by, Tan had forced Annie to surrender all of the latter’s salary to the former, with only $50 left to her as allowance. Later, that amount would be reduced to $30.
Despite the situation, unnamed co-workers and Annie’s manager said that she was gentle and sometimes made jokes with them.
But starting October 13, the manager noticed something troubling about Annie.
The abuse escalates
Annie went to work with bruises on her face and arms. At some point her eye was almost swollen shut and she had to hide it with her fringe or a baseball cap. She was being beaten–but she would not reveal it.
The beatings at home happened regularly, with increasing viciousness.
Her manager and coworkers asked her if something was wrong, but she always said that she was clumsy or that she fell. At some point, they saw fear in her eyes when they mentioned her “older sister.”
Tan would also call the restaurant often, asking after Annie and scolding her if the latter would go home late. Even the manager was scolded by Tan, when Annie had to come home late because of extra training and during bonus season.
According to the manager, Tan called up the restaurant to demand a larger bonus for Annie. Outwardly, people may think it’s because Tan was Annie’s advocate and defender–but in reality, Tan was already forcing Annie to hand over all her salary and to follow strict rules at home.
And escalates further
The beatings became so bad and happened so often that Annie developed an ear injury that needed surgery.
But Tan had wiggled out of getting to an emergency room by saying that she needed to fix a family matter before getting Annie checked. Annie was, still, not actual family.
At some point, Annie decided to leave Hot Tomato in February. This was after Tan tried to negotiate a higher Chinese New Year bonus for Annie. Reports say Tan persuaded Annie to transfer so the coworkers wouldn’t see her injuries anymore.
Annie then applied at a Japanese restaurant in Causeway Point. The manager for that restaurant recalled that Tan was with her during the interview, and did all the talking for Annie. She was hired, and things continued to go downhill.
How badly was she beaten?
It’s not just a question of how badly Annie was beaten, but how often and for what reasons. For eight months, she was subjected to physical encounters with the couple, and did not fight back.
According to reports, Annie was regularly subjected to abuse such as, “slapping her with bathroom slippers, whipping her with a plastic belt, and banging her head on the wall. When Tan grew tired of assaulting Annie in Pua’s presence, she would instruct her husband to take over the assault, and he complied.”
“Both had also kicked and stepped on Annie’s chest, causing her to suffer rib fractures.” Reports said
Annie never called out for help or asked them to stop. In her mind, she deserved the abuse.
Sometime in March 2015, the couple brought home a roll of shrink wrap weighing about 1.05 kg. Tan began using the shrink wrap to hit Annie. When the couple discovered that she was afraid of the shrink wrap, they used it more often to hit her all over her body.
Coworkers noticed that Annie was having trouble walking at some point as well.
She died on a Monday
Things turned for the worst when the couple came home to Annie on April 12, 2015, a Sunday. Pua found her about to use scissors to cut her wrists. She was doing this because she was unable to please her “older sister” in some matter.
They left for the day and when they came back, they saw that Annie had urinated on the bed. Annie denied that she had, and for that she was beaten again. Tan asked Pua to continue the abuse, and it was one of the most vicious beatings yet.
The encounter was so violent that Pua had cracked a dustbin on Annie’s shoulder.
Later that night, Annie was said to be groaning in pain and had urinated on the bed, unable to control her bladder. After the couple checked her blood pressure to be normal, they left her alone.
But on Monday morning, they found her dead.
Concealing their crime
The couple did call the police, but they tried to conceal evidence by throwing away the top layers of the shrink wrap roll they used to beat her with.
They initially told the police that she had committed suicide. Later, they blamed her intellectual impairment for her death, saying she fell and landed badly on her buttocks. According to official reports, Annie died from multiple injuries.
Reports do not say if she has family.
What will happen to the people who abused and killed her?
Reports say that Deputy Public Prosecutors April Phang and Claire Poh asked Justice Hoo Sheau Peng to sentence Tan to 15 years in jail, and for Pua to be given 14 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane.
The prosecution stated that the abuse by the couple was “deliberate, planned and systematic,” which meant that they really wanted to harm Annie in such a way that she would feel as much pain as possible.
In addition to using deceit to cover up their crimes, an aggravating factor was that they deprived Annie of timely medical treatment, probably for their own safety. Since Annie had low IQ, she would not think to get help for herself or think that she did not deserve the beatings.
The couple, who were represented by lawyer Josephus Tan of Invictus Law, will be sentenced on Friday (1 December).