A Singapore man sought protection from the courts after alleging that his wife subjected him to years of bizarre and painful abuse, including poking his private parts with acupuncture needles and hitting him with a massage stick whenever she was unhappy with his massages.
According to court documents published on May 22, the man applied for a Personal Protection Order (PPO), a no-contact order, counselling order and mandatory treatment order against his wife. However, the Family Justice Courts eventually dismissed all his applications.
The case has since drawn attention online due to the unusual allegations raised during the proceedings.
Husband Allegedly Threatened With Knife Over Government Payout
According to CNA, The man claimed one of the most serious incidents happened on Dec. 6, 2025, when his wife allegedly demanded access to his mobile phone after suspecting he was having an affair. According to him, she became angry because he had not yet transferred to her the money he received from the Government Assurance Package payout.
When he initially refused to hand over the device, she allegedly retrieved a 15cm knife from the kitchen and pointed it at him.
Court documents stated that the situation only calmed down after he transferred the money and his wife reportedly found no evidence of infidelity on his phone.
The man then alleged that his wife later used three acupuncture needles on his testicles, claiming she was preventing his private parts from “turning black”. He described the incident as extremely painful and said he was terrified by her actions.
He further claimed that after the incident, his wife ordered him to massage her and would hit him with a massage stick whenever he pressed the “wrong point”.
Claims Of Daily Abuse And Financial Control
Beyond the needle incident, the man also alleged a long pattern of controlling and abusive behaviour throughout the marriage.
According to his testimony, he was allegedly forced to kneel and crawl around the house 100 times whenever his wife suspected him of cheating. He also claimed she physically assaulted him if he returned home late from work.
The husband further alleged that he had to surrender his entire monthly salary to his wife, receiving only between S$4 and S$5 daily as a food allowance.
He also claimed he was made to wash her clothes every night and provide nightly massages.
In another alarming allegation, the man said his wife, who allegedly had knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, once threatened to kill him by targeting a pressure point with acupuncture needles.
Court Dismisses Protection Order Application
Despite the allegations, Magistrate Soh Kian Peng dismissed the husband’s applications after finding that he had failed to prove a protection order was necessary for his safety.
The court noted that the couple were already living separately and had completely cut off contact with one another. The husband had also reportedly taken steps to hide his current address from his wife and her relatives.
The magistrate added that even if the husband’s account were accepted fully, the evidence presented did not show an ongoing threat requiring court intervention.
Under Singapore law, a PPO may only be granted if the court is satisfied that family violence has occurred or is likely to occur, and that protection is necessary for the victim’s personal safety