Woman who stabbed ex-girlfriend pleads guilty to reduced charge

Woman who stabbed ex-girlfriend pleads guilty to reduced charge

After going on trial for six days for the attempted murder of her former girlfriend who refused to get back into a relationship with her, a 25-year-old woman pleaded guilty yesterday to a lesser charge of attempted culpable homicide.

Giselle Shi Jia Wei broke down as she admitted stabbing Ms Ummul Qurratu 'Ain Abdul Rahman, 22, twice in the chest in a Geylang hotel room in July 2012.

Instead of life in prison or up to 20 years' jail for attempted murder, the bespectacled, long-haired Shi now faces up to 15 years' jail and a possible fine on the reduced charge.

The prosecution had agreed to amend the charge after oral representations from Shi's lawyers on Wednesday.

The High Court will hear sentencing arguments on Oct 10.

The court heard yesterday that the pair started a romantic and sexual relationship in July 2011. At the end of that year, Ms Qurratu 'Ain stayed at Shi's family home.

The couple then cohabited in Malaysia for two months before returning to Singapore in July 2012.

Throughout this time, their relationship was "highly unstable and fraught with frequent quarrels and confrontations" due to Shi's possessiveness towards her lover, the court heard.

Following a quarrel on July 14, 2012, Shi told Ms Qurratu 'Ain she wanted to end their relationship.

Three days later, on Shi's request, the pair spent the night at a Geylang hotel where Shi tried to patch things up but to no avail.

On July 21, the accused bought a knife with a 10cm blade and kept it in her bag. She planned one last reconciliation attempt, failing which she would stab both Ms Qurratu 'Ain and herself in a murder-suicide ploy.

Shi again asked her former lover to meet her and the pair checked into the same hotel. The next day, while Ms Qurratu 'Ain was lying naked in bed, Shi asked to start afresh, saying she thought they would be together in life or death.

When Ms Qurratu 'Ain rejected her, Shi reached for the knife in her bag and plunged it into her former lover's chest. In the ensuing struggle, the knife was pulled out and Shi stabbed Ms Qurratu 'Ain a second time.

The victim blacked out and Shi tried to kill herself by stabbing her own chest.

When Ms Qurratu 'Ain came to, she tried repeatedly to leave the room but was foiled by Shi each time. Eventually, as Shi was losing consciousness, she escaped and sought help from a couple, who called the police.


This article was first published on October 03, 2014.
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