A pensioner sunk a meat cleaver into his wife’s he

A pensioner sunk a meat cleaver into his wife’s head during a row and later blamed the savage attack on
his epilepsy, a court heard.

Ming Yuen, 65, struck his partner Xiao, 50, with the deadly weapon in their kitchen after she applied for a British passport.

She tried in vain to escape over their garden fence in Greenford Road, Greenford, Middsx, as her husband landed further blows on her buttocks.

Mrs Yuen then doubled back and ran out the front door but collapsed on the pavement outside their home after losing huge amounts of blood, Inner London Crown Court heard.

But Yuen is to call a psychiatrist as part of his defence who will claim Yuen was in a ‘fugue’ – a dream-like state during an epileptic fit.

Giving evidence Mrs Yuen said her husband was angry when she applied for a British passport.

And her husband had noticed his name was not on her old Chinese passport.

Mr Yuen ran down the stairs screaming in Cantonese at his wife that she was ‘a number eight woman’ – which in Hong Kong slang means a prostitute.

Mrs Yuen, who until then had enjoyed a happy four-year marriage, said she was attacked after returning from work at a local supermarket at 6.

30pm on July 26, 2000.

‘He started quizzing me about my passport not having his name there,’ she said.

‘As I went in the kitchen he said: ‘All right, I’m going to cook for you.

‘

‘He was standing there not moving.

‘

Yuen then reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a 30cm long, solid steel meat cleaver, she said.

She said she was struck to the head as she turned to open the garden door.

‘He came behind me and then chopped on my head.

A lot of blood came down.

‘I saw blood splash everywhere, on the wall, on Mr Yuen as well, blood covered my body.

‘So I rushed out.

Blood covered his face as well.

I ran to the garden and tried to climb the fence, but it was too high.

‘He used the knife to strike my back.

He said: ”I’ll chop you into 12 pieces.

I felt giddiness,” Mrs Yuen said.

She then turned back and ran through her house, pushing her husband away but he chopped her again.

‘He said: ”I’m going to chop you to death – I’m not scared.

I’ve done it before,” Mrs Yuen said.

She was only injured by the blow to her head – which left a deep 8cm long gash in her scalp.

Her buttocks were protected by the thick material of her trousers.

But she lost so much blood she passed out on the street, the court heard.

Michael Speak, prosecuting, said when police rushed to the scene Yuen had changed out in his bloodstained clothes.

And jogging bottoms covered in his wife’s blood were later found in his house.

In two police interviews, Yuen did not give any helpful answers to the police, Mr Speak said.

‘He said he remembered being at home that afternoon but very little beyond that.

‘

Since then Mr Yuen has admitted unlawfully wounding his wife.

But Yuen, of (61) Greenford Road, Greenford, denies a more serious charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Mr Speak explained that the defence may claim that Yuen was suffering from epilepsy at the time.

‘After someone suffers an epileptic seizure they can be in a state of confusion, when the seizure has ended,’ he explained.

‘It has been postulated by the defence that this defendant could have carried out this attack during a period of confusion,’ Mr Speak said.

But the prosecution do not accept this view, he said.

‘The defendant lost his temper with his wife because she had a passport in her own name.

‘He took up that cleaver and chopped her with it and chased her.

‘When you look at that, and the things he said to her, it makes it plain he was not confused.

‘He knew exactly what he was doing and was not unwell at all when these events occurred.

‘

The trial continues.

ends