Wife-beating cabbie gets jail

A magistrate has this to say to a husband who assaulted his wife for refusing sex: "A wife should be treated with love and kindness, not ill-treated. If you don't love her, leave her."

Magistrate Nur A'minahtul Mardiah Md Nor sentenced taxi driver K. Tharmalingam, 42, to a month's jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of causing hurt to his wife, T. Thangasamy, 38.

The court ordered him to serve the sentence from Tuesday.

Tharmalingam committed the offence in a house at Jalan Udang Harimau low-cost flat, Taman Megah Kepong, Sentul here, at 3.30pm on April 10.

The charge under Section 323 of the Penal Code carries a maximum sentence of one year or a fine of up to RM2,000 or both, upon conviction.

According to the facts of the case, the accused had forced his wife to have sex but when she refused, he beat her up causing injuries to several parts of her body.

Earlier, when questioned by the magistrate if he had hit his wife in the presence of his two children, aged 12 and 13 years, Tharmalingam answered, "No, my children were asleep."

His wife was also present in court.

Deputy public prosecutor Noor Svetlana Mohd Noor Nordin urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence as a lesson so that the accused would not repeat further acts of violence against his wife.