Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, January 16
SINGAPORE — The woman who killed her 14—year—old daughter last year gave a glimpse of her mental state in the High Court on Friday.
When asked to enter a plea after the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was read to her, Goh Hai Eng said: "I do not know."
After clarifying with her lawyer, Goh, 52, replied: "I’ve nothing to say." A further round of clarification took place before the bespectacled woman replied with a guilty plea.
Goh had stabbed Eunice Chew Li Xin to death on March 19 last year in their one—room Woodlands flat. Goh was depressed over her second divorce and the sale of her matrimonial flat just before the incident, the High Court heard.
Goh, who is also a grandmother, constantly worried about money and told her family she would kill Eunice and later commit suicide.
"The accused even asked the deceased how she would like to die," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Crystal Ong.
A day before the incident, Goh — who was treated for bipolar disorder at the Institute of Mental Health in 1999 — refused to go for a medical appointment at IMH with her eldest daughter.
Later that evening, Goh called her elder sister to tell her she "was not in a good mood". If she were to die, Goh added, her elder sister could take a television rack from her flat.
Several hours later, at about 2am on March 19, Goh began thinking about killing herself and taking Eunice with her. "She did not want the deceased to live without her as she thought that no one would take care of her," said DPP Ong.
Goh then took a fruit knife and stabbed Eunice once in her chest while she was sleeping. Eunice woke up immediately and Goh hugged her. The mother then pulled the knife out of the girl’s chest and threw it away. Eunice cried loudly but Goh walked away. When she heard Eunice take her last breath, she stood up and touched the deceased’s face.
Realising that Eunice was dead, a terrified Goh called her eldest daughter and her elder sister, and told them she had killed Eunice. The police were then alerted, but Eunice was pronounced dead at 3.06am.
According to a psychiatric report prepared by Dr Gwee Kok Peng, Goh was suffering from a severe depressive episode of a bipolar disorder since 1999, but had stopped her medication since October 2008. At the time of the offence, Goh was of sound mind, but the mental illness did significantly impair her judgment, opined Dr Gwee.
High Court Judge Kan Ting Chiu directed the prosecution to obtain a further report from Dr Gwee on his findings of diminished responsibility. Also, Justice Kan wanted to know Dr Gwee’s assessment on Goh’s recovery if she had taken regular and sustained medication.
No date has been set for the next hearing.
Goh, who is now in remand, faces a maximum of life imprisonment for her crime. — TODAY