A husband has admitted murdering his 'nagging' wife in a Newcastle hotel by smothering her with a pillow.
Soong Fong and Pek Ying Ling were on holiday in the city when Fong 'snapped' and attacked his wife to keep her quiet. He has been standing trial accused of murder and on Monday told jurors he could not remember killing her.
But on Tuesday he dramatically pleaded guilty to murder at Newcastle Crown Court after it became clear a defence of diminished responsibility was not available to him after the evidence was reviewed by his legal team. Judge Paul Sloan QC adjourned sentence until Friday but warned Fong he will be jailed for life.
Read more: Husband accused of murdering wife in Newcastle hotel tells court he 'can't remember' killing her
Pek Ying Ling, known as Evelyn Pek, died at the County Aparthotel hotel, on Westgate Road, in Newcastle on December 6 during a European holiday with her husband after travelling from their native Singapore. Mrs Pek, 51, was found by emergency services lying with her legs hanging over the bottom of the bed and a pillow over her face.
Prosecutors said Fong smothered Mrs Pek to death after he snapped and lost his temper to stop her 'from scolding him or nagging him or to keep her quiet'. Prosecutor Peter Makepeace QC said that Mrs Pek would 'scold' her husband for not taking proper care of himself as he continued to smoke while he was unwell.
The court heard that Fong had told police in the aftermath that he 'lost it', and had tried to 'shush' his wife so he covered her mouth. The couple, who had been married for 27 years, were in the city where their eldest of three sons was studying at university.
The court had heard that after the incident, Fong rang him to say: 'I have hurt your mother. She's gone. She's dead. I just lost it. I tried to cover her mouth to shush her. I just lost it.'
Jurors heard previously that during their stay in the UK, Fong had suffered a number of falls which required hospital treatment - including one from roughly 50ft while taking photographs in Scotland. Giving evidence, he said he was in pain and wanted to leave a conversation about whether to end their holiday early until the following day.
Asked if he accepted causing her death, Fong said: "I can't come to terms with that but I accept that I caused her death." But he added that he did not intend to kill her or cause her really serious harm.
He said he can't remember what happened. Asked whether he killed her after getting fed up with her nagging him, Fong replied: "I can't remember but I don't believe. 28 years of marriage, I can't believe there's anything that she can say or do that can make me so mad."
Asked when the first time was he became aware she was dead, he said: "When I tried to talk to her and I didn't get a response. I tried to get up and noticed she was on the bed with a pillow over her face.
"I froze. It's like it's a nightmare what happened. I felt a lot of pain, my heart is very very painful.
"Put it simply, it's like I wanted to die. It's like being ripped apart. It's like the whole world is collapsing. I was horrified how to live without my wife by my side."
Fong said he contemplated suicide but the thought of his three sons losing both parents in such circumstances stopped him. Mr Reed put it to Fong that prosecutors say he is pretending he can't remember what happened. He replied: "No. I'm desperate to know what happened, if not for myself at least for my sons."
Speaking following their father’s plea, the couple’s three children issued a joint statement, it reads: “We are heartbroken after losing our Mum, but now we just want to provide our Dad with the support he needs.”
Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Steel said: “This is an incredibly tragic case and first and foremost, our thoughts continue to be with the couple’s three children who I commend for their composure and their engagement with the police throughout this extremely difficult period in their lives.
“We will support them in any way we can as they continue to navigate their grief and process what has happened.
“We would ask that everyone respects their privacy at this extremely difficult time.”
He added: “We want to be clear, that we will absolutely not tolerate domestic abuse or violence in any form.
“When incidents of this nature do occur we are committed to bringing those responsible to justice.”
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