Husband, 51, accused of murdering his ‘nagging’ wife with a pillow tells court he ’caused her death’

A husband accused of murdering his wife by smothering her with a pillow to stop her from ‘nagging’ him has told a court he ‘caused her death’.

Soong Hert Fong, 51, said he didn’t mean to kill Pek Ying Ling, who was known as Evelyn Pek, and he doesn’t believe there’s anything she could have done to make him ‘so mad’.

Mrs Pek was found dead at the County Aparthotel in Newcastle on December 6 last year during a European holiday with husband Soong after travelling from their native Singapore.

The 51-year-old was found by emergency services lying with her legs hanging over the bottom of the bed and a pillow over her face. 

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Fong had told police in the aftermath that he ‘lost it’ and had tried to ‘shush’ his wife so he covered her mouth.

The couple, who had been married for 27 years, were in the city where their eldest of three sons was studying at university.

The court had heard that after the incident, Fong texted him to say: ‘I have hurt your mother. She’s gone. She’s dead.

‘I just lost it. I tried to cover her mouth to shush her. I just lost it.’

Fong, 51, of Marine Vitsa, Floor Unit, Singapore, denies murder and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard that the couple would go often go on multiple holidays a year which always included one with the whole family.

Giving evidence from the stand today, Fong told jurors that the pair had been discussing plans to cut their holiday short after his health was suffering from a number of falls.

He said: ‘Life is full of ups and downs and challenges. We had disagreements and arguments.

‘After the hospital visit to Inverness, I believe we had been having that conversation every day (about cancelling the holiday).

‘I said I was really in pain. I don’t remember if we had a verbal argument.

Mrs Pek was found dead at the County Aparthotel (above) in Newcastle on December 6 last year during a European holiday with husband Soong after travelling from their native Singapore 

‘I can’t come to terms with that (Ms Pek’s death). But I accept that I caused her death.’

When asked by counsel Mr Reed if that’s what he intended, Fong replied: ‘No.’

Mr Reed then asked if Fong intended to cause serious harm, to which said: ‘No.’

Mr Reed added: ‘The prosecution say that you killed your wife because you got fed up of her nagging. Is that what happened?’

Fong replied with: ‘I can’t remember but I don’t believe. After 28 years of marriage I cannot believe that anything she can say or could do that could make me so mad.’

Mr Reed then asked: ‘Do you remember seeing your wife with a pillow over her face?’ Fong responded: ‘No.’

He then told jurors that the first time he noticed his wife was dead was when he tried to speak to her but wasn’t receiving a response.

Newcastle Crown Court (pictured) heard that Fong had told police in the aftermath that he ‘lost it’ and had tried to ‘shush’ his wife so he covered her mouth

He said: ‘I think I was on the sofa. I tried to get up and I noticed she was on the bed with a pillow over her face, I froze.

‘I felt a lot of pain, I simply wanted to die. It was like being ripped apart and the whole world was collapsing, I was totally blank.’

He added that it was the ‘thought of my three boys’ that stopped him from taking his own life and they ‘didn’t deserve to lose both parents under such circumstances’.

However, Prosecutor Peter Makepeace QC questioned Fong over why he did not immediately contact the emergency services when he knew his wife was unresponsive.

Mr Makepeace said: ‘What you did was turn your phone on and off nine times. The evidence shows it.

‘You held her down while you smothered with the pillow didn’t you.’

The trial continues.