A High Court judge has dismissed a Singaporean husband’s appeal in a contentious divorce case, citing repeated delays allegedly caused by his “conveniently timed” medical emergencies.
According to the High Court’s written grounds, the couple married in 2009 and have two children — a 15-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. They separated after 10 years of marriage, following what the wife described as years of abuse and harassment.
The wife alleged that the husband suspected her of having an affair and began physically abusing her in 2019. She claimed he stalked, threatened, and publicly humiliated her, prompting multiple police reports.
Unable to endure the situation, she filed for divorce in 2022. However, the husband strongly opposed the divorce and subsequently filed appeals in both the Magistrate’s Court and the High Court.
The divorce hearing was initially scheduled to begin on Aug 13, 2024, but was postponed nine times due to the husband’s reported heart problems. In one instance on Sept 9, 2024, during the 10th attempt to proceed with the hearing, the husband arranged for an ambulance to arrive mid-hearing, forcing the court to adjourn proceedings once again.
Medical records showed that on that occasion, the husband complained only of chest pain while at rest. The judge noted that there were no clear clinical findings to indicate an emergency and that doctors had relied solely on the husband’s self-reported symptoms.
The judge remarked that while the husband may have underlying heart issues, the timing of his medical episodes — often occurring on the eve of or on the day of hearings — raised concerns about deliberate attempts to delay the judicial process.
On May 5, 2025, the Magistrate’s Court issued an interim ruling in favour of the wife. The husband appealed, but failed to attend the appeal hearing scheduled for Jan 22, again citing heart-related issues.
The High Court concluded that the husband’s conduct demonstrated a lack of genuine intent to pursue the appeal and found no valid grounds to justify it. The appeal was therefore dismissed.
“The husband must accept that when something has come to an end, the best way forward is to end it with dignity, so that everyone — including himself — can move on,” the judge said.
The court also noted that the husband had previously signed an agreement in March 2022 promising good behaviour in exchange for the wife withdrawing a personal protection order. The agreement included terms on asset division and stipulated that any breach would allow the wife to proceed with divorce.
However, less than two weeks later, the couple reportedly clashed again. The wife also alleged that the husband returned home while infected with Covid-19, despite isolation requirements, endangering the family’s health.
Court records detailed multiple alleged assaults, including incidents where the husband was said to have kicked the wife’s abdomen, grabbed her neck, and shoved her against a wall. He was also accused of damaging surveillance cameras, kicking doors, and attempting to forcibly take their son from her.
The husband was further alleged to have pawned the wife’s jewellery to fund a paternity test after questioning the child’s parentage. Although the test confirmed he was the biological father, he allegedly continued telling friends and church members otherwise to humiliate the wife.
