S’porean in Newcastle Denied Murdering His Wife But Admitted to Manslaughter

By
Hannah Koh
-

Travelling to England in winter is hailed as the most beautiful period to visit the country.

However, what was supposed to be a memorable trip for a couple turned out to be their last.

Admitted to Being Involved in Wife’s Death

Fong Soong Hert, 50, admitted to being involved in the death of his wife in a luxury apartment in Newcastle, England, while they were on their holiday last year.

On Friday (18 Mar), the Singaporean appeared before a Newcastle Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

He denied a charge of murdering his wife, Pek Ying Ling, 51, and is scheduled to go on trial on 6 June.

Newcastle Crown Court confirmed that Fong is still in remand.

Wife Found Not Breathing in Hotel

Pek died on 6 December last year at the County Aparthotel, in Westgate Road.

The Northumbria police said in a Facebook post on 9 December last year that they received a call at around 7.15am on 6 December (3.15pm Singapore time) with a report of concern for Pek at the hotel.

Emergency service personnel fought to save her life after they found that she was not breathing, but she was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.

Fong was then arrested and charged with murder.

Family members told The Straits Times in December last year that the couple were very loving.

Trip Gone Wrong

Fong and Pek were midway through their two-and-a-half-month holiday, having left Singapore on 24 October last year.

Before arriving in Newcastle, they had travelled to the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi, Croatia and Scotland.

The couple, who have three sons, met their eldest son in Newcastle on 3 December and planned to meet their other two children later on their trip.

Pek had quit her full-time job in the events industry amid the pandemic in 2020, while Fong runs an events consultancy firm.

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The couple’s youngest son, Alexis Fong, 24, said that on 6 December, his parents had returned to their rental apartment after his father had gone for a hospital check-up.

“My mum had texted earlier that day saying that my dad collapsed three times in 18 hours. So she got an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

“After going through some checks, my dad was given some medication and returned to the apartment,” he added, without elaborating on his father’s condition.

About six hours later, he received a text message from his eldest brother telling him “something bad had happened” and his brother was “going to check”.

He said he received a call from the same brother an hour later, informing him of his mother’s death.

If convicted of murder, the elder Fong faces life imprisonment.

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Featured Image: Facebook (Northumbria Police)

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Hannah Koh
Email: [email protected]