51-year-old Singaporean Fong Soong Hert, admitted on 9 August to killing his wife of 28 years Pek Ying Ling, by smothering her to death with a pillow, on the 5th day of his murder trial.
The trial was held at the Newcastle Crown Court and was delayed for more than an hour, as Fong deliberated with his attorneys before changing his plea to guilty.
He told the court that he doesn’t remember what happened on the day of the murder and that he “wants to” but he “cannot explain”.
He added that he is really desperate to understand what happened and what went wrong.”
He told Steven Reed, the junior defence counsel that his marriage with the late Madam Pek was wonderful and never a cause of stress, adding that “we were so happy.”
Fong is set to return to court on Friday for his sentencing.
Background
The couple was travelling on the Isle of Skye in Scotland and he then suffered a bad fall on 27 November, falling down a steep edge after tripping and he then made it back to their hotel and was attended to to by staff/
He was sent to the hospital and stayed overnight, before being discharged the next morning, and the couple then continued their tour around Scotland in a rented car.
At their next destination in Inverness, Fong was still in pain and went to hospital for another checkup, and the couple then went to Edinburgh after that where they met their eldest son, and the trio then went to Newcastle by train.
The family then went to a football match and went sightseeing, and Fong had several falls throughout the trip and needed medical attention at the hospital once again.
Fong was discharged on 6 December and the couple then went back to their hotel at 12.17am, and there were seen on CCTV returning to their hotel room, and the victim was never seen alive again.
Fong later called his eldest son and told him “I hurt your mother, she’s gone,” before further adding “she’s dead.”
The victim, Madam Pek, was found on the bed and pronounced dead at the Newcastle County Aparthotel on 6 December at about 7.32am.