After years of living together in a tumultuous relationship filled with loud quarrels and physical altercations, a Singaporean man died at the hands (or rather, feet) of his Thai girlfriend in their North Bridge Road flat.
43-year-old Thai national Sukanya Praphutta has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for culpable homicide by way of stomping her live-in boyfriend to death, The Straits Times reports. She pleaded guilty to killing 55-year-old Lee Yang Boo by using her right foot to stomp on his head — hard enough to lead to death from a head injury.
The assault transpired in the early hours of March 1, 2015, following a quarrel that was sparked from a night out drinking at a club. The couple had gone for drinks with friends, and Praphutta danced with a male stranger, irking Lee.
When they returned home, the couple quarrelled after Lee accused his girlfriend of having a sexual relationship with said stranger in the club. He eventually went to bed.
It was later on that Lee suddenly woke up and hurled vulgarities at Praphutta and her parents, leading to a scuffle that resulted in Lee laying down on his side on the floor. Aside from dealing repeated blows onto his face, body and limbs, she stomped on his head so hard that it caused skull fractures.
When she helped Lee onto the bed, she noticed that her boyfriend was having difficulty breathing and his ear had started bleeding. She sought help from a neighbor, who called the police later.
Lee was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng hospital, but died at about 6.45pm. The autopsy determined that he died from a head injury.
The altercation also left Lee with a total of 47 bruises all over his body, while Praphuttha herself was found with a handful of bruises and abrasions.
Initially charged with murder, her sentenced was reduced to culpable homicide. She could have been sentenced to the maximum of 10 years in jail.
