The former girlfriend of Mitchell Ong, 43, who is accused of killing Audrey Fang, 39, in Abanilla, Spain in April 2023, said the Singaporean man was "aggressive" and facing financial problems at the time of the alleged murder.

According to the Ukrainian woman, who testified in court, she met with Ong on Apr. 12, just days after the alleged murder had occurred and saw unexplained injuries on his knees.

Fang was found dead on Apr. 10 with at least 30 knife wounds about 150km away from where she was last seen.

Ong was later arrested in his hotel room on Apr. 16, where he was found with Fang's phone and €3,769 (S$5,473) and US$1,000 (S$1,351).

Ong's former partner testified in court through a video call, reported Spanish media La Verdad.

First met in 2021

The woman first met Ong in 2021 at a Brussels nightclub and since had an on-and-off romantic relationship.

She explained that Ong visited her "practically every month" in Alicante, where she lived last year.

While they broke up in September 2023, Ong continued sending her flowers and gifts.

According to documents seen by La Verdad, Ong had also asked mutual friends to "keep an eye on her".

"He harassed me and begged me to go back to him," the woman said.

During her statement, the woman explained that she did not know about Fang or that Ong was married.

Attempted to reconcile

In April, Ong invited the woman to Spain to try to reconcile, and she reluctantly agreed to the trip.

Ong took charge of finding accommodation in Alicante and the woman claimed that she did not know why he put the hotel in her name.

Ong was captured by cameras at the train station arriving in Alicante on Apr. 3.

When asked why he arrived earlier than expected, Ong said he had a previous meeting with friends in Barcelona.

Scared after arguments

The woman arrived in Spain on Apr. 12 and left on Apr. 17.

However, she had left the hotel room she shared with Ong earlier as she was "scared".

She described him as "aggressive", explaining that he would throw himself on the floor in a tantrum if he did not like a service somewhere.

He also shouted at her and threw a chair at her.

She saw that he had injuries on his knees, but he could not give her any explanation about it.

The woman recalled that he once reacted as if he was "paralysed" and told her that she should "be happy" that he was still "normal" after what he had done.

Financial problems

The ex-girlfriend also testified that Ong had been having financial problems since September 2023, which he apparently told her he would soon resolve.

While he did not explain to her how he would get the money, he had said that "he would soon get a lot of money".

During their stay together in Alicante, he also told her that he would receive this amount within two months and that he would buy a house in Alicante.

The former girlfriend said that Ong enjoyed a high standard of living despite his financial difficulties.

Fang's CPF beneficiary was changed to Ong

It was previously reported that Fang had named Ong as a beneficiary of her Central Provident Funds (CPF) savings.

Fang reportedly had up to S$500,000 in her CPF accounts.

She had deposited nearly S$200,000 into the accounts for investment-lined products, and the nomination was made in person on Oct. 4, 2023.

Two university friends of Fang earlier testified in Spanish court that Fang and Ong had been in a "relationship" since 2014.

While they could not define the type of "bond" between the two, they said Fang seemed to have a "romantic and sentimental" interest in Ong.

However, the two were under the impression that Ong's interest in Fang was "purely economic" and wanted "to do business with her".

Ong was likely working at AIA, an insurance and finance corporation, at the time, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile.

Related stories

Top photos from Mitchell Ong & Audrey Fang's social media