Private tutor jailed for shoving hospitalised girlfriend against bed
She was hospitalised because of a swollen leg but ended up with three broken ribs after a tussle with her boyfriend in hospital.
Ms Tan Shi Yi, 31, had a dispute with Elvin Kua Kian Lieng, 33, on May 5, 2016, at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. He pushed her during the dispute, causing her to fall and hit a sofa bed.
Soon after the incident, Ms Tan broke up with Kua, and he harassed her by repeatedly sending abusive messages via WhatsApp on May 20, 2016.
Yesterday, Kua, a private tutor, was jailed for two weeks for causing grievous hurt and fined $1,000 for harassment.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong told the court that Ms Tan was warded on May 4, 2016, for a swollen leg after she was stung by a marine animal during a snorkelling trip in Malaysia.
The next day, a dispute broke out between her and Kua over money issues. As the dispute escalated, he lost his temper and threw a TV remote control on the floor.
Ms Tan opened the door of her ward as she was afraid and wanted the nurses outside to hear what was going on. But Kua closed the door, shouted vulgarities and pushed her. When Ms Tan tried to leave the room, he blocked her way.
During the tussle, he pushed her backwards, causing her to fall and hit her body against the wooden part of the sofa bed. She suffered three broken ribs.
DPP Wong said Kua did not help the victim although she was in pain. She had to crawl to the bed to press the bell for the nurses.
Ms Tan was warded till May 12 and given hospitalisation leave until Oct 7, 2016. Her medical bills came up to $22,777, of which she managed to claim about $15,000 in insurance.
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