Man used refrigerator to block door of Woodlands HDB room, trapping pregnant girlfriend inside
A 28-year-old Singapore permanent resident confined his pregnant girlfriend against her will in the room of a Woodlands HDB flat by moving a refrigerator to block the door.
She ended up falling from the window of the second-floor unit, according to court proceedings reported on by Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Hans Pratignyo on LinkedIn
Man traps pregnant girlfriend in Woodlands room after buying charcoal & lighters
The 25-year-old girlfriend of Indonesian Hans Pratignyo was five months pregnant with his child at the time of the incident on 1 Dec 2024.
At about 10pm, he closed the windows of his rented room, drew the curtains, and unplugged the air-conditioning.
He then bought three packs of charcoal and several lighters from a nearby supermarket.
After that, he closed the room door and moved the refrigerator behind it, trapping his girlfriend inside.
Source: Court documents via Shin Min Daily News
When she went to the toilet, he lit tissue paper on fire and put it on top of charcoal piled near the toilet exit in order to scare her.
Man burns charcoal again, chokes pregnant girlfriend
At about 8am the next morning, Pratignyo burnt charcoal in the room again, causing it to be filled with thick smoke.
He then dragged his girlfriend into the toilet, forced her to sit on the toilet bowl and told her, “Don’t kill my girlfriend.”
As the smoke stung her eyes and she feared for her safety, she begged him to let her stay outside the toilet for two hours and promised to obey him.
But after she left the toilet, the couple engaged in a scuffle, with him choking her as she lay on the floor.
Pregnant girlfriend falls out window of Woodlands room during struggle
The woman managed to escape and climbed out of the window to call for help.
Pratignyo tried to pull her back, but she ended up falling out of the window in the struggle.
She landed on her right hip, but got up and ran to a nearby gym to seek help.
Witnesses called the police, and he was arrested.
Woman suffers multiple injuries
The girlfriend was taken to Singapore General Hospital, where she was warded for 11 days.
She suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis and ribs, abrasions to her chest, elbows, abdomen, thighs and knees, as well as redness and swelling in her pelvis.
Court documents did not mention what happened to the baby that she was carrying.
Man pleads guilty to 3 charges, awaits mandatory treatment order report
In court on Monday (15 Sept), Pratignyo pleaded guilty to three charges of wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.
Three more charges will be taken into consideration for his sentencing.
According to a report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), he was diagnosed with delusional disorder, which can cause hallucinations.
An IMH psychiatrist believed that this condition contributed to his offences.
Thus, the prosecutor did not object to his undergoing evaluation for a mandatory treatment order (MTO), which means he would have to undergo treatment in lieu of jail time.
The defendant’s lawyer also stated his intention to plead for leniency pending the MTO report.
Also read: ‘If imma crash out, imma crash out’: S’pore girl admits to physically assaulting boyfriend, netizens call out abuse & express concern
‘If imma crash out, imma crash out’: S’pore girl admits to physically assaulting boyfriend, netizens call out abuse & express concern
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Featured image adapted from Hans Pratignyo on LinkedIn and court documents via Shin Min Daily News.
