Singaporean man who screamed ‘how could you be so cruel?’ as he bashed his ex-girlfriend with a hammer after she rejected him is sentenced to six years in jail
- Guan Wen Brian Tan was sentenced to six years’ jail for bashing his ex-girlfriend
- He bashed her with a hammer and then also stabbed her with a knife in the neck
- Victim has permanent reminder of the attack in the form of an indent in her head
- The Singaporean national faces deportation after his release from prison
Guan Wen Brian Tan screamed, ‘How could you be so cruel?’ as he bashed his ex-girlfriend with a hammer in his Brisbane Airbnb after she told him they would never be together.
After travelling from his native Singapore to meet her in May 2017, he bought the hammer – with the intention of using it on her if she rejected him – and chocolates.
Tan, 33, was on Friday sentenced to six years jail after pleading guilty to wounding the 20-year-old woman with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.
Guan Wen Brian Tan (pictured) screamed, ‘How could you be so cruel?’ as he bashed his ex-girlfriend with a hammer
Tan also stabbed his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend with a knife after she fought off the hammer attack (stock)
He also stabbed her with a knife after she fought off the hammer attack.
The Brisbane Supreme Court heard the pair met while gaming online and dated long-distance for about two years. He made sporadic trips to Australia to see her.
They split up in January 2017 and he went to Brisbane in May, booking a unit in her suburb of Norman Park.
They spent time together the day of the attack on May 8 but before meeting her that evening, he bought the hammer and chocolates.
That night, he asked the woman, who had started a new relationship a few months earlier, if they would ever be together.
‘She admirably said to him, ‘No, never’,’ crown prosecutor Jodie Wooldridge said.
While she was looking down at an iPad, he attacked her with the hammer.
‘It was without warning and unprovoked,’ Ms Wooldridge said.
He struck her three times before she was able to put her arms up in defence.
Tan (pictured) faces deportation after his release from prison, the court heard
She took the hammer from his hands and made a run for the exit but he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her repeatedly in the neck.
The victim, despite skull fractures and penetration wounds, smashed the glass of the front door with the hammer, alerting neighbours.
Tan fled but returned to the unit the next day, when journalists spotted him and alerted police.
It was ‘good fortune and perhaps the complainant’s own ability to fight back’ that her injuries weren’t more serious, Justice Soroya Ryan said.
She declared Tan a serious violent offender, meaning he must serve 80 per cent of his sentence.
With time already served, he will be eligible for parole in early 2022.
The victim has a permanent reminder of the attack in the form of an inoperable indent in her head. She also has emotional issues such as fear when she sees people who look like Tan.
Defence barrister Sam Di Carlo claimed Tan had a fear of rejection and a ‘need to feel wanted’ as a result of an abusive and dysfunctional childhood.
Justice Ryan labelled ‘fanciful’ Tan’s claim he bought the hammer as a gift for his Airbnb host.
He faces deportation after his release from prison, the court heard.