An Irish man has been arrested and detained in custody in the Philippines on suspicion of beating his wife with a piece of wood.
The man is being detained at a cop station over the incident on Monday night in the town of Badian, Cebu. The couple had been drinking before the attack, police said, before the man's wife was assaulted just before 7pm.
The woman was rushed to Badian District Hospital but she was later transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City. Major James Conaco, Badian Police Station chief, explained how they received a call alerting them to the row.
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When emergency services responded, the woman had lost consciousness with visible injuries to her eye and body. Conaco described the attack as "very brutal" because the suspect also beat her with firewood.
A statement from police read: "An Irish national is jailed after he beat his wife senseless on Monday night. The suspect, an Irish national and resident of Barangay Banhigan, Badian, Cebu was arrested after the incident was reported to the police.
"A concerned citizen called the station to inform the police that the couple had a heated argument and assaulted the wife. During their altercation the husband struck the wife many times with a piece of hard wood.
"The victim further stated that during their argument the suspect was throwing and broke things in the house. He became unruly and hit the victim many times. The suspect was under the influence of liquor.
"The victim was brought to Badian District Hospital but was later referred to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for treatment."
The Irish suspect later confessed to police after he sobered up. Chief Conaco told how the suspect "cried" after making his admission. The woman has also claimed to investigators that she had been the victim of domestic violence.
A police statement added: "A case will be filed in court against the suspect for violating RA 9262, while a coordination with the Foreign Liaison Division-NOC, Foreign Liaison Section, Irish Embassy and RID7 was done to inform them of the incident.
"The suspect is now under the custody of Badian Custodial Facility. The police doesn’t condone to violence, this is a warning to all husbands that violence is punishable by law."
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