Shrink: Murder accused saw suicide as way for him and victim to be reborn as lovers

GEORGE TOWN: An engineer allegedly killed his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day three years ago and tried to commit suicide, so that he could be reunited with her in heaven, a High Court here heard.

Psychiatrist Dr Kelvin Lee, 40, from the Bukit Mertajam Hospital, said Cheong Teik Keon, 34, had allegedly stabbed his girlfriend three times and himself four times.

“His judgment was distorted. He may have felt that it was wrong but he did not care about the consequences.

“In his severe depressed state, he had a ‘romantic and idealistic’ idea that they will be reborn in heaven as lovers,” Dr Lee said in his evidence during examination-in-chief by DPP Lim Cheah Yit yesterday.

He was testifying in the trial of Cheong, who is alleged to have stabbed clerk Tan Ching Chin, 24, to death at her family home in Taman Hwa Seng in Alma, Bukit Mertajam, at 8.40am on Feb 14, 2013.

The offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Dr Lee earlier told the court that Cheong was referred to him on Feb 18, 2013 for assessment following an alleged suicide attempt.

During cross examination by defence counsel Ramkarpal Singh, Dr Lee said there was a chance Cheong may have a relapse of depression if he was taken off his medication.

When re-examined, Dr Lee said Cheong was partially sane at the time of his assessment because he was aware of the incident.

“There was no psychotic or dissociative episode like him forgetting that the incident happened,” he said.

Judicial Commissioner Collin Lawrence Sequerah fixed June 16 for oral submissions.