A 40-year-old man in Singapore was sentenced to 20 years' jail on Apr. 22 for beating his girlfriend to death between Jan. 16 and 17, 2019.

He was drunk at the time and had hit her after she told him that she had sexual relations with other men.

M. Krishnan, who cohabited with Mallika Begum Rahamansa Abdul Rahman in a flat in Woodlands, pleaded guilty on Apr. 12 to a reduced charge of culpable homicide for causing her death by beating her continuously, reported The Straits Times (ST).

What happened

Krishnan started hitting Mallika while they were consuming alcohol at home on Jan. 15, 2019 after she confessed to having sex with other men.

According to ST, she was kicked and slapped in the face, punched in the ribs and kicked in the thigh.

She had previously revealed to him from Jan. 11, 2019 that she had slept with other men even while he was imprisoned in 2018.

He also grabbed her neck before pushing her twice, causing her to fall and hit her head against a wardrobe and a kitchen cabinet.

On Jan. 16, 2019, Mallika went to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment but results of a CT scan did not show any medical abnormalities.

After a phone call with Mallika's sister that evening discussing her relationship with one man, a drunk Krishnan became angry about her affairs and began assaulting her.

He then called the Singapore Civil Defence Force at about 1:35am on Jan. 17, 2019 after he moved her to the bed and noticed that she was no longer breathing.

Mallika was pronounced dead at the scene.

She had died due to a head injury and also sustained several injuries and bruises on her body.

Has history of domestic abuse

Krishnan then turned himself in to the police at around 1pm on Jan. 17, 2019.

He is still married to his wife, whom he cheated on with Mallika since 2015, and had hit her face when she caught the couple red-handed in November 2015.

Although Krishnan and Mallika continued dating, he also confessed that he had abused Mallika in 2017.

Has intermittent explosive disorder

Krishnan's psychiatric evaluation revealed that he has intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a behavioural disorder that causes frequent bouts of uncontrollable anger and violent behaviour in people.

However, it was concluded that it had not directly affected his judgment and self-control.

According to ST, Justice Valerie Thean said Krishnan understood that he was subject to such behaviours and that consuming alcohol excessively only amplified those actions.

The deputy public prosecutor called for 15 to 18 years’ jail for Krishnan and was countered by his defence counsel Ramesh Tiwary, who argued that the accused remained cooperative and also confessed to the crimes.

Krishnan was initially charged with murder and it is unclear why the charge was amended.

He previously had criminal records, including cases of verbal abuse and spitting on police officers.

Top image via Canva