Doctor allegedly beat up ex-girlfriend for refusing to have sex

A doctor is on trial for allegedly beating up his then-girlfriend in his bedroom after she refused to have sex with him.

Clarence Teo Shun Jie, 35, had allegedly assaulted Ms Rachel Lim En Hui, 27, so violently that she suffered multiple facial fractures. Police officers had to break down his door to rescue her.

Teo, who works as a locum, is claiming trial to causing grievous hurt to Ms Lim and wrongfully confining her in his bedroom on Aug 27, 2017.

On the first day of the trial yesterday at the State Courts, Deputy Public Prosecutors April Phang and Amanda Sum read their opening statement where they said Teo's father had called the police at around 4am that day.

He said there was a dispute in his home in Redhill Close.

Teo and Ms Lim had met over the dating application, Coffee Meets Bagel, in early 2017.

Ms Lim, who took the stand yesterday, said they started dating immediately. She then found out that he was an alcohol abuser.

She claimed Teo would get angry when he asked her about her past relationships.

In a police report read out in court, Teo had allegedly punched Ms Lim in March 2017.

They were in his flat when he suddenly brought up her past relationships and he punched her multiple times, but he apologised to her the next day.

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Ms Lim, who works in the communications industry, told the court that she had forgiven him because Teo apologised and said he would change.

But weeks later, he poured cold apple juice on her and turned on the air-conditioner and caused her to shiver.

She added that they had sex before, in his car, and Teo would be the one who asked for sex.

Ms Lim said the night before the incident, they had gone drinking at three places. They then returned to his flat at about 2am in good spirits.

But he allegedly became enraged and aggressive when she was reluctant to have sex with him, said the DPPs.

They wrote: "When she tried to leave the room to escape from him, he pursued her, forced her back into the room, and locked the door."

They added that Teo had allegedly punched the victim's face repeatedly with great force and hit her head against the wall.

When police officers arrived at the unit, they heard screams and shouts coming from Teo's locked room.

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One of them, Staff Sergeant Muhammad Jauhary Sabiri, said in court yesterday that Teo's father and sister were in the flat when the police arrived.

They had urged Teo to open the door, but he did not do so.

The officers had also called out to Ms Lim, who said she was injured and could not get out.

One of the officers later kicked open the door to find Teo lying face down on the bed in his boxer shorts and arrested him.

Staff Sergeant Muhammad Jauhary said Ms Lim was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room with her face badly bruised beyond recognition.

The trial resumes today.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.