A 34-year-old married woman, Daljeet Kaur Dharam Chand, was charged in court with one count of contributing to the risk of dangerous fire by allegedly pouring thinner on the kitchen floor and setting it on fire, causing her 32-year-old lover to get burned, with the victim suffering severe burn injuries on covering 15% of his body.
At the time of the incident, Daljeet was living with her lover at a HDB flat in Sembawang, while her husband and her three daughters lived in another unit with her mother.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the allegations against her, claiming trial, which was heard in court on 16 October, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Had an argument with lover
The incident took place on September 6, 2021, Daljeet and her lover engaged in an argument via a series of heated text messages from between 5:21 pm to 7:35 pm.
During this period, Daljeet bought two bottles of paint thinner and a pack of matches, signaling a pivotal turning point in the chain of events, as she returned home.
Her lover came back home at about 7.37pm and the two then got into a physical fight after another argument.
At approximately 7:48 pm, Daljeet then allegedly poured the paint thinner onto the kitchen floor of their flat and used matchsticks to set fire to it, which ultimately resulted in her lover catching fire and suffering burns to 15 percent of his body.
The Trial
Prosecution’s stance
The prosecution emphasized that Daljeet did not deny igniting the fire, alleging that she did so with full knowledge that it would lead to a fire outbreak, seemingly as a means to prevent her lover from leaving the premises.
During the course of investigations, Daljeet initially admitted to setting the fire but later retracted her statement and denied it instead.
The prosecution also highlighted how there was no evidence to prove that the fire was set by her lover instead.
The Defense’s Perspective
On the other hand, the defense argued that Daljeet’s actions were in self-defense as she felt threatened by her lover and desired to escape from him.
Notably, Daljeet’s mother testified in her daughter’s defense during the trial. She described the violence her daughter allegedly endured at the hands of her lover, revealing that Daljeet had communicated her intention to leave before the incident.
Testimony & statement to police don’t match
However, the prosecution highlighted how the mother’s testimony in court and her previous statements to the police do not add up.
In her initial statement to the police, Daljeet’s mother indicated that her daughter was intending to burn down the house and had bought some flammable liquids.
However, in court, she only claimed to have known about Daljeet’s intention to leave.
The prosecution also questioned the mother’s testimony in court, about her claiming to have knowledge of her daughter’s lover initiating the fire and if she knew, why she didn’t report this to the police.
The mother then claimed that she had “panicked” because she knew her daughter bought the flammable liquids, which was why she didn’t tell the police about it, before adding that she doesn’t have a clear picture of what happened.
The hearing into the case continues.