Man accused of smothering wife was never violent, says son

Pek Ying Ling's son said he never saw his father "lay a finger" on his mother, the court heard

A man accused of suffocating his wife with a pillow was "never violent", their son has told a court.

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.

Giving evidence at Newcastle Crown Court, Alonzo Fong, 26, said he never saw his father "lay a finger" on his mother and "he always protected" her.

The couple had travelled from Singapore, via Dubai, for a holiday in Europe.

The court was told that in the early hours of 6 December, Mr Fong, of Marine Vista, Singapore, murdered his wife of 27 years in their hotel room hours before they were due to fly to Paris.

'Not changing a word'

Alonzo Fong, the eldest of the couple's three sons, told the jury: "For my 26 years of life, not once had my dad laid a finger on my mum.

"There's never been an argument of physicality even when he was on his medication or when he was stressed.

"He would always protect my mother."

Asked if he would change that view after having time to reflect, he replied: "I'm not changing a word of that.

"I think I know my father very well. I would never think of any circumstance he would seek to hurt my mother."

The court had heard previously the defendant, who admits manslaughter, texted his son at university in Newcastle and said: "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."

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

Jurors have also heard that during the couple's stay in the UK, Mr Fong had suffered a number of falls which required hospital treatment including one from roughly 50ft (15.2m) while taking photographs in Scotland.

Prosecutor Peter Makepeace QC said that Mrs Pek would "scold" her husband for not taking proper care of himself.

When asked about what that meant, their son said: "When I say scold, I'm not sure what the understanding is in the UK for that word, but in Singapore it's mostly like a telling off.

"For example, if my mum saw my dad doing a certain thing she would ask why, that's what I meant by the word scold.

"She would be constantly asking him to go to hospital to get checked and stop acting so tough."

The court has also heard that the defendant had "no memory whatsoever" of the killing and is claiming diminished responsibility.

However, the prosecution said that he smothered his wife to death after he snapped and lost his temper to stop her "from scolding him or nagging him or to keep her quiet".

The trial continues.