Their mother is dead, their father is the accused murderer
Mon, Sep 05, 2011 | The New Paper
By Amanda Phua and Amanda Yong
Their mother is dead and their father is accused of killing her.

But the two young siblings do not know that.

The girl, six, and the boy, four, live with a nanny in Whampoa.

Yesterday morning, their father, Lee Show Fui, 32, unemployed, was charged in court with the murder of Madam Tang Shifang, 37, who worked as a coffee shop assistant.

He is alleged to have killed her at their flat in Block 441B, Fernvale Road, between 9am and 3.58pm on Wednesday.

When asked if he had anything to say, Lee said in English: "I did not murder my wife."

His mother, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Lee, 68, turned up in court in a wheelchair. She was accompanied by her younger son.

She told The New Paper that the couple's two children have been living with their nanny for about three years.

"She (Madam Tang) couldn't handle them. Plus, their daughter is hyperactive," said Mrs Lee, a housewife.

"I don't think they know what has happened to their parents. Besides, they probably don't understand what death means. They are too young."

She added that the couple pays the nanny $200 a month for each child and an additional $160 for their daughter's school fees.

Mrs Lee said that while she visits her grandchildren once in a while, the couple visits them at least once a week, often on their days off.

She said that Lee had been introduced to Madam Tang, who was originally from China and later became a Singapore citizen, by a mutual friend.

Married in China

They then held a wedding ceremony in China in 2000 because it was cheaper there.

Madam Tang has a grown-up daughter from a previous marriage.

Mrs Lee found out about her daughter-in-law's death on Thursday morning when the police called her. She then spent the next few hours frantically trying to contact her son.

It was only later that day that the police told her Lee had been arrested.

Explaining that she was in a wheelchair because she had a recent leg operation, Mrs Lee said in Mandarin: "He looked happy to see us in court.

"I think he felt comforted that we were there for him."

She described him as obedient.

"He was also very popular with women and they would ask him out. But he never led them on and chased them all away instead," she said.

To her knowledge, Lee's last job was as a factory worker.

He was fired recently after he crashed a company vehicle.

He used to work for a rice dumpling seller before that, Mrs Lee said.

The couple lived with Mrs Lee in a flat at West Coast before moving to Sengkang in May.

Mrs Lee said that an undertaker has contacted her and offered to handle Madam Tang's funeral for free.

She will be cremated and her ashes kept in a columbarium here.

Mrs Lee added that Madam Tang's parents and elder sister remain in the dark about her death because she does not know how to contact them.

She added: "I'll just have to wait for them to call us or visit us. Then, I can tell them what happened."

If convicted, Lee faces the death penalty.

This article was first published in The New Paper.