(Image source from: Khaleej Times)

An Indian-origin man in Singapore on Tuesday was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to be given six strokes of the cane for stabbing his pregnant wife with a 10-cm long knife, according to a media report.

The 30-year-old Jayselan N Chandrasegar stabbed his 27-year-old wife Mayuri Krishnakumar twice on her lower back and twice on her abdomen, on December 30 earlier this year, causing her to suffer puncture wounds.

Before fleeing the scene, he also slashed her back. Mayuri was taken to a health facility and discharged after a few days.

"The court heard that the unborn baby was not harmed in the attack. Chandrasegar was sentenced to seven years' jail with six strokes of the cane," The Straits Times reported.

He pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt to the woman with a weapon, and one count of failing to provide his urine sample after he was caught for a suspected drug-related offense, it said.

According to the report, Chandrasegar flew into a rage after he spotted his pregnant wife, who used to be a sex worker, talking to a man he assumed was a pimp.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Houston Johannus said the couple was married in 2013. However, their spousal relationship soured in October last year because of regular quarrels over money and their three-year-old child.

"The accused was also made aware that the victim's ex-boyfriend was trying to reconnect with her," Johannus told District Judge Ng Peng Hong.

"This caused the accused to become overly possessive and distrustful of the victim. He then banned the victim from going out of the house," Johannus said.

When Mayuri told Chandrasegar that she was pregnant, he refused to believe that the child was his and accused her of infidelity, the report said.

Unable to tolerate his aggression and verbal abuse, she ran away from their home in December last year and sought refuge with her old friends, who were mainly sex workers, it said. Before this incident, police officers caught Chandrasegar for suspected drug-related offenses, the court heard.

The defense attorney pleaded for an imprisonment for up to five and a half years for Chandrasegar. He said Mayuri had forgiven his husband and the couple was still married to each other.

-Sowmya Sangam