KUCHING: A 35-year-old man was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment by the Magistrate’s Court here today (May 7) for assaulting his wife.
Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan meted out the sentence on Naszuan Morni after he pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 323 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 326A of the same Code.
The accused, who was unrepresented, was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of conviction.
The offence under Section 323 carries a penalty of up to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
However, under Section 326A, the sentence may be enhanced to up to twice the maximum term where the victim is a spouse.
According to the facts of the case, the incident occurred at about 11:00 pm on March 20, at a house in Kampung Tanjung Bako, Jalan Tanjung Bako, here.
During the incident, the accused punched his wife in her right eye twice following a verbal argument. The victim sustained pain to the affected area.
A police report was lodged, and the accused was later arrested on March 29, by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Kuching Police Headquarters (IPD).
Investigations revealed that the accused and the victim are legally married and were living together at the time of the incident.
Medical examination conducted about a week after the incident indicated that the victim’s eye was in normal condition.
It was understood that prior to the incident, the accused had been asked by his wife to look after their child while she was doing household chores.
However, while caring for the child, he was playing video games. After losing the game, he became angry and assaulted his wife, blaming her for being slow in completing the housework.
The prosecution was conducted by Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin.
