A woman, who allegedly stabbed her husband to death after he beat her, faced murder charges at Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday.

Dam Thyheang, a 52-year-old Vietnamese national, told the court she acted in self-defence and feared for her life when her husband, 55-year-old Nguyen Yong, who routinely beat her, attacked her on the night of January 25 in Toul Kork district’s Tuol Sangke commune.

“The reason why I decided to use a knife to stab him was because he had beaten me, and tried to use a cutting board to hit on my head. I did it to protect myself. I think that if I did not stab him first, he will kill me,” she told the court, adding that Nguyen Yong was drunk and began destroying property in their home. He attacked her because he was not happy with his dinner, she said.

“I had no intention to kill him. Therefore, I would like to ask the court to drop charges against me and release me from now on,” she added.

Presiding Judge Ker Sakhorn said that Dam Thyheang was implicated in a serious crime and was charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 29 this year.  

“She used a vegetable knife to stab the victim’s stomach and chest during a personal dispute with him and caused him serious injuries. He died after he was sent to the hospital. Her activity was cruel and a crime,” he said, adding that the victim was stabbed five times in the stomach and chest and died at Calmette hospital.

Ker Sakhorn said that a verdict would be announced on Monday.