Man smothered wife with hotel pillow 'to stop nagging'

Pek Ying Ling's husband may have knelt on her shoulders to achieve the required force to kill her, the court heard

A man suffocated his wife of 27 years with a hotel pillow to stop her "nagging him", a jury has been told.

Soong Hert Fong, 51, denies murdering Pek Ying Ling, 51, who was found dead at the County Aparthotel, in Westgate Road, Newcastle, on 6 December.

The couple from Singapore were on holiday in the UK when she died.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Mr Fong phoned his son, who was studying in the city, told him he had "lost it" and his mother was "gone".

The couple, who had had three sons, had travelled from Singapore, via Dubai, on a European holiday which had included a trip around Scotland.

The court was told that in the early hours of 6 December, Mr Fong, of Marine Vista, Singapore, murdered his wife in their hotel room hours before they were due to fly to Paris.

He then called his son who was at university in Newcastle and told him: "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."

Mr Fong, who admits manslaughter, later told police: "I just wanted her to keep quiet."

Mrs Pek was confirmed dead at the County Aparthotel in Newcastle in December

Prosecutor Peter Makepeace QC said there was no known history of violence between the couple but according to one son, Mrs Pek was known to "scold" her husband.

The court heard Mr Fong had been injured in a fall during their stay on Isle of Skye and had visited hospital.

He had three further falls and had to go to hospital in Newcastle, which led to Mrs Pek "scolding him for not taking care of himself".

Mr Makepeace said: "She wasn't happy he was continuing to smoke while he was unwell."

The court heard the couple returned to the hotel after being to the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary at shortly after midnight on 6 December.

Mrs Pek was found hours later by emergency services lying with her legs hanging over the bottom of the bed and a pillow over her face.

Mr Makepeace said the defendant may have knelt on his wife's shoulders during the attack to achieve the required force to kill her.

Mr Fong claimed he had "no memory whatsoever" of the killing and had diminished responsibility for it, jurors have heard.

Rejecting the defendant's argument, Mr Makepeace added: "He lost his temper, he snapped and he smothered her to death, apparently to stop her scolding him or nagging him or to keep her quiet".