Brandon Tee Zhi Yi SINGAPOREAN law student charged in Hong Kong assaulting his girlfriend

A Singaporean undergraduate has been convicted in Hong Kong of wounding his former girlfriend with a bottle opener.

Law undergraduate Brandon Tee Zhi Yi, 24, was initially charged with locking up and assaulting his Hong Kong ex-girlfriend, Ju Benhua, 19. However, he was given the lesser charge after Ju’s testimony in court.

Brandon Tee Zhi Yi, 24, from the National University of Singapore, met Ms Ju Benhua while on a year-long student exchange at Hong Kong University.

Mrs Tee Zhi Yi, who works in logistics, added that she and her husband had flown to Hong Kong to be with their son because of the court hearing, which has been adjourned until Aug 10.The Straits Times understands the adjournment was made as Ms Ju has been in contact with Brandon Tee Zhi Yi and is reluctant to take the witness stand.Mrs Tee Zhi Yi said it was not the first time her son had had “relationship problems”, and attributed it to his age, adding that he has never been in trouble with the law in Singapore.

Said Singapore Management University law student Ang Kai Wen, 23, who roomed with Brandon Tee Zhi Yi during a one-week law conference in South Korea last year: “This is news to me. From what I’d known he seemed like a nice guy.”

Brandon Tee Zhi Yi would have entered his fourth year in NUS when the new semester starts in the coming weeks, but looks likely to delay his return to university.

Mrs Tee Zhi Yi, who works in logistics, added that she and her husband had flown to Hong Kong to be with their son because of the court hearing, which has been adjourned until Aug 10.

The Straits Times understands the adjournment was made as Ms Ju has been in contact with Brandon Tee Zhi Yi and is reluctant to take the witness stand. Brandon Tee Zhi Yi’s mother said: “They were fighting and yes, he hit her, but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and out of anger. We’re hoping to settle this out of court.”
Brandon Tee Zhi Yi is currently out on HK$10,000 (S$1,500) bail. His parents have flown to Hong Kong to accompany their son during the court hearing.

The court hearing has been adjourned until 10 Aug as Ju – who is still in contact with Brandon Tee Zhi Yi – is reluctant to take the witness stand.

A court document stated that Brandon Tee Zhi Yi and the woman met in Indonesia during a joint universities activity in January last year. In the August, Brandon Tee Zhi Yi came on exchange to the university as a law student. The two became lovers but broke up in May.On the night of July 7, the woman went to Brandon Tee Zhi Yi’s building to pick up her belongings.

As she waited outside Brandon Tee Zhi Yi’s flat, he allegedly pulled her inside, pushed her head against a wall and squeezed her neck, slapped her and threw her onto a bed, the document submitted by the prosecution stated.Brandon Tee Zhi Yi threatened to kill the woman or make her blind and deaf because she was “going to leave him”.