Man gets life sentence for killing wife's lover
Chia's lawyer says he was relieved to have avoided the death penalty
A businessman who murdered his wife's former lover was sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court yesterday.
Chia Kee Chen, 57, was found guilty in January of forcing the victim, material analyst Dexmon Chua Yizhi, 37, into the back of a van and assaulting him between Dec 28 and Dec 29, 2013.
He had an accomplice, Indonesian Febri Irwansyah Djatmiko, 35, who fled the country.
A second accomplice, Chua Leong Aik, 67, who drove the van, is serving a five-year term.
Yesterday, Justice Choo Han Teck said Chia had the motive and intention to kill but it is possible Febri may have inflicted the fatal blow.
Chia's lawyer Anand Nalachandran told reporters his client was relieved that he escaped the gallows.
Last month, prosecutors asked that Chia be given the death penalty for the "savage" and "cruel" killing.
The victim was tied up and thrown into the back of the van, and was battered so viciously that almost every bone in his face was fractured.
Chia found out about his wife's extramarital affair in November 2012.
The victim had made police reports about Chia making threatening phone calls to him and stalking him.
During his trial, Chia said he and his accomplices were trying to retrieve from the victim a thumb drive containing video footage of his wife having sex.
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