A 37-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 40 days in jail yesterday (16 June) for threatening to kill his domestic helper after developing romantic feelings for her.
The accused, Muhammad Khairulnaim Rosli, is married and has 2 young children.
The accused confessed his romantic feelings to the victim, but was rejected
The accused, Muhammad Khairulnaim Rosli
According to CNA, the domestic helper was hired by the accused’s wife and began working for the family on September 10, 2023.
3 months into her employment, the accused developed romantic feelings for the victim, who is also married, and confessed his feelings to her.
However, the victim rejected his advances and felt disturbed and uncomfortable because of it. The victim told the accused in mid-December 2023 that she didn’t like him and blocked him from her social media.
The accused’s wife then asked him for a divorce on 1 January 2024 after he confessed his feelings for the domestic helper to her.
The accused felt that the victim had destroyed his life and threatened to kill her with a knife
For illustration purposes
Several days later, on 12 January 2024, the accused took the victim’s smartphone and opened her WhatsApp chat history with her husband.
He then tried to snap a photo of the victim’s husband’s phone number, but failed as the victim managed to snatch her phone away.
It was then revealed in court that the accused planned to tell the victim’s husband that she had a boyfriend in Pakistan to “destroy her life”, as he felt that the victim had already “destroyed his”.
The victim then followed him to the storeroom to ask the accused why he had taken her smartphone, but she accidentally pushed the storeroom door with force.
The accused then became enraged and kicked the door 3 times, asking the victim why she was mad at him.
Later that day, the accused spoke to his wife over the phone and complained to her that the victim had not fed his children rice.
He then took a nap as he had work in the evening. However, he woke up feeling angry with himself, his wife and the victim.
The accused then took urgent leave from work, and at about 6 pm, he retrieved a knife with a 16 cm blade from his kitchen.
He then raised the knife slightly above the waist and pointed it at the helper, telling her that he wanted to kill her.
Fearing for her safety, the victim then fled from the home after the accused’s wife returned home minutes later.
A passer-by encountered the victim crying and helped call the police, who arrested the accused later that night.
The man pleaded guilty to criminal intimidation and was sentenced to 40 days in jail
For illustration purposes
In court, the accused pleaded guilty to one count of criminal intimidation, an offence that could’ve landed him up to 20 years in jail.
After considering several mitigating factors, such as how he was a first-time offender and the facts that the threat was not prolonged and the victim wasn’t harmed, the court sentenced him to 4o days in jail.
So, what do you guys think of this case? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments.
