S'pore man, 77, hits wife with bamboo pole after she confronts him about chatting up beer lady at coffee shop

An argument broke out between a husband and his wife, after the man allegedly chatted with a beer promoter working at a coffee shop.

The 77-year-old man, Low Poh Puay, ended up fracturing his wife's nose and thumb in the fight that ensued.

Court documents dated Sep. 17, 2024 specified that the altercation took place on Nov. 10, 2023 at about 11:10pm.

Low had returned home from a night of drinking at that time.

Argument over beer lady

Suspecting that her husband had been chatting up the beer promoter, 66-year-old Lian Siew Eng decided to confront him.

This angered Low, who grabbed a mop and used it to hit her head.

In retaliation, Lian beat Low's hands with a bamboo pole meant for laundry.

Low also got his hands on a bamboo pole and used it to strike his wife's head repeatedly.

He stopped when he drew blood.

Wife suffers fractures

Low alerted the police to the incident himself.

The police arrived at their house and arrested him.

Meanwhile, the couple's son returned home and called for an ambulance for his mother.

Found to have suffered fractures of her nasal bone and thumb, Lian was hospitalised for eight days.

Low was possibly stressed

Low pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to someone he was in an intimate relationship with.

For this offence, he could have been jailed for up to six years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

But Low complained to the judge that his wife tended to say negative things to him, CNA reported.

A medical report revealed that Lian had schizophrenia.

The report further stated that she had likely been experiencing symptoms for a long while and did not receive adequate treatment.

She was found to be medically stable on Nov. 18, 2023, and was transferred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

Court documents stated that the couple's son was also mentally ill.

Taking into account Low's advanced age and the possibility that he might be under stress from caring for his wife, the court sentenced him to six weeks' jail.

Top image via xy/Xiaohongshu