Woman who stabbed boyfriend after refusing sex while on her period has jail term doubled to 12 years
A woman in Malaysia was 19 when she fatally stabbed her boyfriend during a struggle after refusing to have sex with him because she was menstruating.
Four years later, her jail term has been nearly doubled from six years and six months to 12 years after the Court of Appeal ruled that the original sentence was too lenient, reported Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
The woman, identified only as Shy to protect her identity, was in a relationship with the 29-year-old victim for almost a year.
Refused sex because she was on her period
On Sept 20, 2022, the couple checked into a hotel near Jalan Austin Heights in Johor Bahru (JB).
According to court documents cited by FMT, an argument broke out after the man demanded sex.
Shy refused, telling him she was menstruating. He then threatened her with a knife, prompting her to struggle with him for the weapon.
During the struggle, she stabbed him multiple times in the chest.
An autopsy subsequently found 28 injuries on the man, with multiple stab wounds to the chest listed as the cause of death, said South China Morning Post.
Initially charged with murder
Shy later surrendered to police and was initially charged with murder.
Following representations by her lawyer, prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
She pleaded guilty to the amended charge and was sentenced by the JB High Court to six years and six months’ jail.
The prosecution later appealed against the sentence.
Court: Original sentence was too lenient
A three-judge Court of Appeal panel unanimously allowed the prosecution’s appeal and increased Shy’s jail term to 12 years.
Justice Evrol Mariette Peters said the High Court had been “over-sympathetic” towards Shy by placing too much emphasis on her age while failing to give enough weight to the seriousness of the offence.
Shy was 19 when the killing happened and 22 when she was convicted.
The appellate court also rejected the suggestion that the circumstances of the struggle significantly reduced the severity of the offence.
“This was not a single impulsive stab. The multiple injuries demonstrate a sustained violent attack,” Peters said.
28 injuries weighed against her age and remorse
The court acknowledged several mitigating factors, including Shy’s young age, guilty plea, remorse, lack of previous convictions and psychiatric condition.
However, judges said these had to be balanced against the 28 injuries, the use of a knife, the wounds to the victim’s chest and the loss of his life.
Peters said Shy deserved some leniency because she was “young, remorseful and traumatised”, but added that the sentence still had to reflect the gravity of the killing.
The court ultimately ruled that 12 years’ jail was proportionate and necessary in the public interest.
Her sentence will run from the date of her arrest.
*This article was produced with AI assistance.
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