Man, 48, charged with murdering wife, 43, in Esparina Residences condominium in Buangkok

The man's Facebook profile said he is from Australia.

Belmont Lay| January 04, 2020, 12:30 PM

A man was charged in court on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, with murdering his wife at the Esparina Residences condominium in Buangkok a day earlier, CNA reported.

Paul Leslie Quirk, 48, was charged with one count of committing the murder of Christina Khoo Gek Hwa, 43.

The nationality of the husband was not revealed in the charge sheet.

But Quirk's Facebook profile said he is from Australia.

He previously worked in podiatry, which is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower extremity.

The crime took place in a third-floor unit in the condominium at 12.07pm on Friday, Jan. 3.

The prosecutor asked for the 48-year-old to be remanded at Changi Prison’s medical centre for psychiatric observation.

District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan ordered Quirk to be remanded for three weeks, according to CNA.

Quirk is to return to court on Jan. 24.

What happened

The police said in a statement that they received a call for assistance at a unit at Esparina Residences around Friday noon.

A woman was found unresponsive in the unit.

She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Quirk was subsequently arrested.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased and Quirk knew each other.

If convicted of murder, he faces the death penalty.